January 2012 Volume 15 Number 1 - Educational Technology ...

Map Analysis in Transfer Test
Figure 6 displays the average number of relevant and expert concepts and propositions in the student maps in
ecology. There was no significant difference among the three groups with respect to the number of relevant
propositions in the maps. But there were significant differences among the three groups as to relevant concepts (F (2,
26) = 4.702, p = .018) and expert concepts (F (2, 26) = 9. 744, p = .001).
The overall results of the transfer test are reported in Table 3. The post-hoc tests of Gabriel’s procedure on the
transfer test show the significant differences between the NP and GP groups on both relevant concepts (MD = .911, p
= .015) and expert concepts (MD = 1.256, p = .001). More importantly, there was also a significant difference
between the GP and SP groups on the expert concepts (MD = .956, p = .010).
Table 3. Overall Results of Transfer Test
Groups Relevant
Relevant
Expert
Expert
Concepts
Propositions
Concepts
Propositions
M SD M SD M SD M SD
NP 2.20 0.632 1.80 .789 2.30 .675 1.60 .699
SP 2.60 .516 2.50 .972 2.60 .516 2.20 .919
GP 3.11 a .782 2.56 .726 3.56 a, b .726 2.22 .833
a
Significant greater than NP, p < .05
b
Significant greater than SP, p < .05
In sum, the GP group outperformed both the NP and SP groups in the transfer test, while the difference between the
NP group and the SP group was not prominent. The results showed that generic prompts have helped students to
apply what they learnt from one knowledge domain to another knowledge domain. However, specific prompts did
not exhibit transfer effects when time progressed and domain was changed.
Analysis of Response Statements
A detailed analysis of student response statements was conducted to gain a better understanding of the levels of
reflection that each experimental group achieved. The prediction was that the students working with generic prompts
should produce a higher level than students who worked with specific prompts.
A sample transcript of Participants’ response statement is as follows to demonstrate both SP student and GP student
responded to the purposefully designed same question prompts but showed different levels of reflection in their
response statements.
[Agent] What is the most important thing you tried to teach me?
[SP Student Response] What is economics? (Reaction: Report facts)
[GP Student Response] The universality of these links, causes and implications
(Contemplation: Indicate a shift in thought).
[Agent] What is/are the most important thing(s) you learn from me?
[SP Student Response] Demand, supply and price are inter-related and contribute to the idea of
economics in total.
(Elaboration: Provide interpretive analysis of course concepts)
[GP Student Response] What to do when approaching economics in real life.
(Contemplation: Indicate a shift in attitude about himself)
[Agent] Do you learn something from me?
[SP Student Response] Yes, I learn how to organize my thoughts better.
(Contemplation: Indicate a shift in attitude about himself)
[GP Student Response] How to teach better and more clearly.
(Contemplation: Indicate a shift in attitude about himself).
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