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Edited by Dr. Lynne Schrum, University of Utah
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| formerly Journal of Research on Computing in
Education |
Volume 37 Number 2 Winter
2004-2005
Web-Based Learning: How
Task Scaffolding
and Web Site Design Support Knowledge Acquisition
S. Kim MacGregor and Yiping Lou
Louisiana State University
Abstract
Using WebQuests for inquiry-based learning represents a higher-order
use of
technology requiring students to exercise information seeking,
analyzing, and
synthesizing strategies. This research was designed to obtain a better
understanding
of how to enhance the pedagogical effectiveness of WebQuests and of
how students
interact with the various features inherent to informational Web
sites. A major
objective was to examine the effect of providing instructional
scaffolds to
support fifth-grade students’ WebQuesting experiences. The findings
indicated
that concept mapping templates coordinated with the research tasks
enhanced
students’ free recall and application of acquired knowledge. The
importance
of site design features, especially discourse quality, multimedia
elements,
and navigational systems, are discussed with respect to students’
ability to
locate, extract, and apply information.
Contributors
S. Kim MacGregor is an associate professor in the Department of
Educational
Leadership, Research, and Counseling at Louisiana State University.
Her teaching
expertise includes research methodology, qualitative approaches, and
program
evaluation. Her research interests include the impact of instructional
innovation
on the psycho-social culture of learning environments and cognitive
outcomes
and content analysis methodologies.
Yiping Lou is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational
Leadership,
Research, and Counseling at Louisiana State University. She teaches
instructional
design, multimedia instructional development, and online course
design. Her
research focuses on effects and factors moderating technology-mediated
instruction
and collaborative learning.
Download
the full article (PDF, 72 KB, PDF
Instructions)
Contact
S. Kim MacGregor
111 Peabody Hall
ELRC
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
smacgre@lsu.edu
Yiping Lou
111 Peabody Hall
ELRC
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
ylou@lsu.edu
Copyright © 2005, ISTE (International Society for Technology in
Education).
All rights reserved.
| WebQuests, information literacy, Web site design, inquiry-based learning, cognitive scaffolding |
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