Abstract
This study was designed to investigate the effects of two instructional approaches (whole-task versus part-task) and two levels of learner prior knowledge (lower versus higher) on learner acquisition and transfer of a complex cognitive skill. Participants were 51 undergraduate pre-service teachers. In the part-task condition, a complex skill (preparing a grade book using Excel) was decomposed into a series of smaller tasks, each of which was demonstrated and practiced separately. In the whole-task condition, which was based on the 4C/ID-model (van Merriënboer 1997), learners were exposed to the entire complex skill from the beginning of the instruction and were required to practice performing a series of whole tasks throughout the unit. Results indicated that the whole-task group performed significantly better than the part-task group on a skill acquisition test and a transfer test. Possible reasons for these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Jeroen van Merriënboer for his suggestions regarding the design of the whole-task instructional approach employed in this study.
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Lim, J., Reiser, R.A. & Olina, Z. The effects of part-task and whole-task instructional approaches on acquisition and transfer of a complex cognitive skill. Education Tech Research Dev 57, 61–77 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-007-9085-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-007-9085-y