Abstracts - Earli

the students in the small groups. Preliminary results show that students’ awareness ofcommunicative arrangements is raised, and that students express their ideas in different ways.K 531 August 2007 08:30 - 10:30Room: -1.62SymposiumInstructional approaches and affordances of representations inmultimedia learning environmentsChair: Tessa Eysink, University of Twente, NetherlandsOrganiser: Tessa Eysink, University of Twente, NetherlandsDiscussant: Marcia Linn, University of California, Berkeley, USAIn this symposium, findings of the Dutch/German NSF research programme LEMMA (LearningEnvironments, MultiMedia and Affordances) are presented. The main goal of this researchprogramme is to gain insight on how representational codes influence learning processes andlearning results. The ultimate objective of the programme is to produce a coherent framework ofdesign rules and guidelines for the use of (multiple) representations in multimedia learningenvironments. From a theoretical perspective, the programme combines theories of ‘computationaleffectiveness’ (Larkin & Simon, 1987; Stenning & Oberlander, 1995), ‘dual coding’ (Päivio,1990), ‘cognitive load’ (Sweller, 1999), and ‘multimedia design’ (Ainsworth, 1999). In thissymposium, a set of experimental studies on the effectiveness of different types of representations(pictorial, arithmetical, and textual, and their combinations) on learning processes and learningoutcomes is presented. Four instructional approaches will be addressed: inquiry learning,observational learning, hypermedia learning, and example based learning. All approaches haveused the same domain of probability theory, the same set of performance tests, and the samecognitive load measures for reasons of comparison. This comparison across instructionalapproaches will be presented in the final presentation. Ainsworth, S.E., (1999) A functionaltaxonomy of multiple representations. Computers and Education, 33(2/3), 131-152. Larkin, J.H.,& Simon, H.A. (1987). Why a diagram is (sometimes) worth ten thousand words. CognitiveScience, 11, 65-99. Päivio, A. (1990). Mental representations: A dual coding approach. New York:Oxford University Press. Stenning, K., & Oberlander, J. (1995). A cognitive theory of graphicaland linguistic reasoning: Logic and implementation. Cognitive Science, 19, 97-140 Sweller, J.(1999). Instructional design in technical areas. Camberwell: ACER Press.The influence of representational format on learner-generated domain representations andmathematical understandingBas Kolloffel, University of Twente, NetherlandsTessa Eysink, University of Twente, NetherlandsTon de Jong, University of Twente, NetherlandsMeaningful learning cannot be attained by processing subject matter only superficially. It requiresa deeper level of processing, whereby the learner integrates new information into new or existingcognitive structures. In some domains, for example mathematics, it is notoriously difficult forlearners to gain conceptual understanding. A way to foster meaningful learning and understanding– 590 –