The development and assessment of a cognitive process based learning strategy training program for enhancing prose comprehension and retention

Abstract

The primary purpose of the present research was to lay the foundation for the development of a cognitive process based learning strategy training program. The following cognitive processes were identified and discussed in relation to prose comprehension and retention: (a) selection of the important material for further processing, (b) identification of important relationships between portions of this material, and (c) reorganization and representation of the material. Using these cognitive processes as a guide, two cognitive process based learning strategies (diagramming and elaboration) were developed. The diagramming technique was designed primarily to facilitate comprehension. The diagram technique presents students with a system for dissecting and re-representing the relations between portions of prose material by having the student convert the text into a two dimensional node link diagram. The purpose of the elaboration component, the second major strategy, was to present students with retrieval strategies and material input strategies that would facilitate long term recall of prose materials. More specifically, the elaboration technique was designed to provide students with procedures for making additional connections (i.e., imagined applications) to learning material and with strategies for using these connections to facilitate retrieval. Finally, five individual difference measures were included in this study so that responsiveness to the diagram and elaboration training could be related to individual differences. In Experiment I, a group of volunteer strategy trainees exhibited some comprehension improvement following strategy training, displaying a 5.6% increase on cued questions and a 2. 4% increase on uncued (essay) items . However, the increment was not significant nor was it of the magnitude acceptable for an effective learning strategy training program. Experiment II allowed for a more controlled evaluation of treatment effectiveness than did Experiment I through random assignment of treatments (i.e., diagram, elaboration, diagram plus elaboration and control) to subjects. Analysis of the data from Experiment II indicated that the strategy groups did not perform significantly better than a "no treatment" control group on immediate or delayed testing. None of the strategy by question type or strategy by time of testing interactions were significant. Examination of test item means and diagram score-performance correlations indicate that the set of links employed in diagramming may not have been inclusive enough. Another consideration was that the control group may actually have received a "treatment" in the sense that the immediate test served as an active review of the test material. These considerations along with others were discussed, their implications for developing an effective learning strategy training program were delineated.