Influence of Previous Knowledge on Eye Movements and Sequence of Cognitive and Self-Regulated Learning Processes During Learning with an Intelligent Tutor
A new study has shed light on the impact of prior knowledge on college students' self-regulated learning (SRL) processes when using an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) like MetaTutor. The study, which involved 194 college students, found that students with higher prior knowledge tend to demonstrate more efficient fixation patterns and effective use of metacognitive strategies, while those with lower prior knowledge may show less strategic fixations and SRL sequences.
The research focused on specific locations on the interface as areas of interest. Interestingly, no significant differences were found in fixations on single areas of interest by the prior knowledge group students were assigned to. However, significant differences were discovered in sequential patterns of engaging in cognitive and metacognitive SRL processes, as evidenced from log-file data.
Furthermore, the study found significant differences in fixations on pairs of areas of interest, as evidenced by eye-tracking data. High prior knowledge students often fixate more on integrative or challenging aspects, facilitating complex metacognitive processes like strategy adjustment and comprehension monitoring. This leads to more organized and effective sequential patterns of SRL events, where metacognitive regulation guides cognitive processing efficiently.
The results suggest the need for designing adaptive ITS that provide individualized scaffolding and feedback based on individual differences, such as levels of prior knowledge. The study using MetaTutor, an ITS that teaches students about the human circulatory system, underlines the importance of such adaptive designs.
Moreover, prior knowledge influences the motivational and need-satisfaction aspects that mediate SRL effectiveness through ITS tools, affecting how learners engage with metacognitive prompts and feedback during learning. This underscores the importance of adaptive ITS designs like MetaTutor, which can tailor support based on learners’ prior knowledge, enhancing both cognitive processing and metacognitive self-regulation by adjusting prompts and feedback sequencing accordingly.
In conclusion, prior knowledge critically affects the patterns and efficiency of fixations and sequential cognitive-metacognitive SRL processes in intelligent tutoring environments, influencing how students monitor, control, and sustain their learning toward academic success with tools like MetaTutor.
- The study using MetaTutor, an Intelligent Tutoring System, revealed that prior knowledge can influence the patterns and efficiency of fixations in health-and-wellness and education-and-self-development subjects.
- The research on students' self-regulated learning (SRL) processes indicated that high prior knowledge students fixate more on integrative or challenging aspects associated with science, nutrition, and fitness-and-exercise topics.
- The results of the study suggest that adaptive ITS designs like MetaTutor, which can tailor support based on learners’ prior knowledge, could potentially enhance mental-health and learning outcomes for college students.
- The study on the impact of prior knowledge in college students' self-regulated learning processes through an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) like MetaTutor, highlighted the significance of designing adaptive ITS that provide individualized scaffolding and feedback in various subjects such as science, health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, nutrition, and education-and-self-development.
