Di.ge.LL (Phase 1)

When learners develop functional relationships of dynamic, technical systems, this aims at an understanding of the respective operating principles. In the sub-project, students interactively explore digital, three-dimensional models of dynamic technical systems from their everyday lives. In this way, a development, expansion and reorganization of knowledge about the structural composition of and spatiotemporal changes in technical systems should be achieved. Experimental studies examine how the exploration environment and instruction must be designed to support and promote the acquisition of the desired knowledge. Both the design of the exploration environment (e.g. provision of animations of technical systems) and the conditions of their use (e.g. structuring of the exploration procedure) are varied for this purpose.

In the subproject, after a phase of individual knowledge construction, eighth graders create an explanation video about “the area calculation of the trapezoid” and thus report their state of knowledge. Essential for learning in this context is the activation of cognitive learning processes (activation of prior knowledge and generation of solution strategies) creating video-based explanations (Lachner et al., 2020). In contrast to previous studies, in the project conception subject-specific didactic criteria for explanatory quality are considered. In the problem-solving process of trapezoidal area calculation, the students are encouraged to generate own, different solution approaches (Hußmann et al., 2015) and to record their explanations video-aided (“video explanation”). In the subsequent teacher-led phase of knowledge construction the students reflect on these approaches and integrate their findings into the target knowledge (various formulae and their references and justifications). Based on previous insights (Lachner et al., 2020), we investigate in which phase (individual phase versus teacher-led phase of knowledge construction) the recording of a video explanation is more conducive to learning. In addition, the effect of different variants of support (creating video explanations) (cf. Hübner et al., 2010; Nückles et al., 2020) on the quality of the explanations and on learning success is investigated.

The aim of the subproject is to investigate how knowledge acquisition and application in simulations can be supported by cognitive and metacognitive prompts in digital comics for learning about swimming and sinking. The subproject focuses on computer-based science discovery learning with simulations (de Jong & van Joolingen, 1998; Künsting et al., 2011). Learning in this individual phase is supported by learning strategy prompts in the comics. Prompts activate learners cognitively (Bannert, 2009): cognitive prompts encourage elaborative deep processing (Entwistle, 1988), metacognitive prompts encourage reflection in the sense of comprehension monitoring (Nückles & Wittwer, 2014; Künsting et al. 2013). A 2×2 design (with/without cognitive prompts; with/without metacognitive prompts) will be used to examine the effect of cognitive activation through prompts in the digital comics on learning outcomes.

The subproject investigates how the development of facets of systemic thinking (in the project: using system models when dealing with complex dynamic problems in ecosystems) can be effectively supported with digital tools. The instructional support of systemic thinking follows the “Model of Problem-Oriented Teaching and Learning” (MoPoLL) (Rieß & Mischo, 2017; Fanta et al., 2019), which was designed for the scaffolding of scientific problem-solving skills, has proven itself repeatedly in fostering systemic thinking, and opens up numerous possibilities for cognitive activation supported by digital tools. It was derived from the 4C/ID model (Van Merriënboer & Kirschner, 2007) and includes several elements of cognitive activation. We investigate which effects the use of either digital qualitative, semi-qualitative or quantitative system models has on facets of systemic thinking. Second, the use of prompts in the form of verbal cues, reminders of demonstrated problem-solving strategies, feedback, and affirmations (Hsu, 2017) will be examined.

The subproject uses the interactive narrative computer game “A Normal Lost Phone” (Plug In Digital, 2017) in conjunction with digital learning journals to build literacy skills (Boelmann, 2015; 2017; Klossek, 2015; Boelmann & Klossek, 2013; König, 2020; Boelmann & König, in press) based on experiential learning (Buck, 2019; Dewey, 1938; Kolb, 1984; Kolb & Kolb, 2017). The focus is on the sub-competency literary figure comprehension with the levels figure identification, analysis, reflection (ibid.; Andringa, 2000; Rietz, 2017; Pissarek, 2013). In this context, the cognitive activation potentials of the game as an interactive experiential space (cf. Boelmann & Stechel, 2020; Squire, 2006; Kraam-Aulenbach, 2003) as well as the influence of explicitly guiding, cognitively activating work assignments on skill acquisition are investigated. The hypothesis is tested that the interactive elements of the computer game (especially inherent prompts) stimulate the learners to literary learning processes in the reception of the conveyed story in at least a comparable effective way as explicit instructions by the teacher.

In the subproject, students in grades 3 and 4 create digital drawings to monitor their learning from nonfiction texts with science content and thereby improve their comprehension (van de Pol et al., 2020). Monitoring comprehension contributes to high learning success in understanding age-appropriate nonfiction texts. However, often the accuracy of monitoring when learning from texts is low (Prinz et al., in press a) with a tendency to overestimate one’s own understanding (Wiley, 2019). Generative activities such as making drawings can help provide additional cues (cue-utilization framework; Koriat, 1997) that students can use to more accurately monitor their own understanding and thereby optimally regulate their further learning (Prinz et al., in press b; van de Pol et al., 2020). We will investigate the extent to which (a) digitally created drawings (with online support, e.g., through prefabricated parts of the drawings; Schmidgall et al., 2020) in an individual phase of reading provide diagnostic cues that students can use to monitor their understanding as closely as possible, and (b) how teachers can use information about the drawings to provide additional support for students’ knowledge acquisition.

In this sub-project, learning journals are used for a more in-depth examination of the learning material during the knowledge acquisition phase of new content. Learning journals promote learners’ cognitive activation, learning success, and interest in the subject matter (Nückles et al., 2020; Wäschle et al., 2015). In the project, learning journals are created and archived online in a shared workspace, which enables peer feedback (Nückles et al., 2005) as well as teacher diagnosis of learning processes (Nückles, 2019). The project investigates to what extent the different technological realizations of the learning journal in writing versus audio/video (cf. Boelmann & König, in presss b; König, 2018) affect learning motivation and learning success (with different writing skills). Preliminary findings (Lachner et al., 2018) indicate that the audio/video format stimulates processes of elaboration compared to the traditional learning journal. In the controlled intervention studies, the technological realization (written learning journal entries versus audio/video journal clips) is varied intraindividually (i.e. all learners produce both) and the effect on learning success and motivation is measured. The learning journal are primarily written in German language education classes (Wäschle et al., 2015) and, for comparison purposes, additionally in biology classes (Glogger et al. 2012).

In the subproject, students develop their conceptual understanding of comparing two data sets by using a digital simulation tool (Ben-Zvi & Garfield, 2004). Here, the boxplot is a suitable representation (Bakker et al., 2005), but its interpretation can be complicated by specific misconceptions (Edwards et al., 2017; Lem et al., 2013a). In the subproject, a digital simulation tool for exploratory data analysis is developed further, which helps learners to answer question prompts for the pairwise comparison of two data sets (Lem et al., 2015) based on one-dimensional point clouds (Bakker et al., 2005). In a subsequent teacher-led phase, corresponding refutation examples are used to contrast the errors in the student products (Lem et al., 2015; Loibl & Rummel, 2014). Under investigation is whether and how a digital learning environment can support goal-directed cognitive activities – i.e., in an individual phase, the generation of partially intuitive-erroneous pre-concepts (Lem et al., 2013b), and in a subsequent teacher-led phase, the systematization of contrasting errors (Loibl & Rummel, 2014) in a manner conducive to learning through refutational examples (Palmer, 2003; Hynd, 2001).

In the subproject, students in late 5th grade develop a basic conceptual understanding of fractions as parts of a whole (Pithkethly & Hunting, 1996) using a digital modeling tool (Boomgarden et al., 2019, 2020). Central to the necessary conceptual change (Vosniadou & Verschaffel, 2004) is the detachment from preconcepts (especially natural number bias; Ni & Zhou, 2005) and the formation of appropriate mental models supported by the generation of visual models of fractions (Loibl & Leuders, 2018; Prediger, 2013; Rau et al., 2015). We investigate in which way a digital learning environment can initiate and support the central cognitive activities: The generation of learning-relevant pre-concepts in a problem-based individual phase of knowledge construction, as well as error processing (Loibl & Leuders, 2019) and generalization through solution comparison (Rittle-Johnson & Star, 2011). In the individual phase of knowledge construction, we investigate to what extent the digital learning environment supports the generation of the learning-relevant (partial) solutions (germane load) and to what extent it relieves from learning-obstructive activities (extraneous load), as they often occur when drawing with pen and paper. In the teacher-led comparison phase, a 2×2 design is used to investigate the contribution of the two types of comparison (comparison with incorrect solutions, comparison of application to different situations) to conceptual knowledge construction.

The empirical investigation of literary interpretation processes (cf. Boelmann/König 2021; 2023; Schilcher/Pissarek 2013/2015; Heimböckel/Pavlik 2022; Bernhard/Hardtke 2022) is central to this sub-project. The process of interpretation is understood as the recipient’s individual engagement with a literary object by generating their own interpretative hypotheses and assigning it a subjective meaning.
The project investigates how the variation of cognitive load (cf. Sweller et al. 1998; 2019) of the students through different instructions and artifacts that have to be created (cf. Clark & Brennan 1991; Sweller, van Merriënboer & Paas 2019) during the text analysis influences their meaning interpretation processes and results. For this purpose, in a 2×2 design, instructions are designed to vary germane load and cognitive activity (cf. Winkler 2011; 2017; Hesse 2020), while the type of artifact that is to be generated is designed to vary extraneous load .

Associated project with funding from the BMBF

The subproject investigates to what extent tactical learning in sports can be influenced by using a digital video-feedback tool. The focus lies on cognitive activities of learners during the construction of tactical knowledge, as this knowledge construction is currently discussed as particularly relevant in various subject-specific approaches to cognitive activation (Richartz & Kohake, 2021; Hapke & Waigel, 2019). In sports, tactical ability is understood as the player’s ability to perform the right action at the right time (Roth, 1989). Tactical knowledge, in turn, has a procedural and a declarative component (Anderson, 1987; Tenenbaum & Lidor, 2005; Thomas & Thomas, 1994), as only a combination of both forms of knowledge enables diverse actions in sports (Raab, 2001). Due to the overall DigeLL project’s focus on cognitive activation, the subproject will also focus on the declarative component of tactical knowledge. In this context, discovery learning is chosen as the instructional strategy, which in the context of tactical learning refers to the process of repeated trials as hypothesis testing (Vereijken & Whiting, 1990). In the subproject, a digital learning environment will be developed that contains elements of cognitive instruction in particular and can be used both in the students’ self-directed learning phases and in teacher-directed phases.