Interaction with learning content

The question here is whether the cognitive processes, meaning specific learning strategies, which should occur while dealing with the material to be learned actually occur. Wild and Schiefele (1994) distinguish between cognitive and meta-cognitive learning strategies:

Cognitive learning strategies:

• Elaboration
• Critical examination
• Organisation
• Repetition

Meta-cognitive learning strategies:

• Planning
• Monitoring
• Regulating

Methods and Instruments

• The primary method for studying interaction with learning contents is thinking aloud (see Page on Thinking aloud) . This involves asking the students to say everything which occurs to them while interacting with a specific learning system. Their words are recorded and transcribed, and their content analysed according to a category system. Click here for an example of a category system that considers different learning strategies: Category system for learning strategies (pdf, 32 kB, in German)
  
  
• The strategies used while learning with a specific learning system can also be evaluated by the students themselves retrospectively. The questionnaire "Lernstrategien im Studium" (LIST) [Learning Strategies for Students] is suitable, although it is necessary to adapt the questionnaire items to the specific context. The questionnaire can be downloaded from the page of the Faculty of Education at the University of Regensburg:  http://www-campus.uni-regensburg.de/edu1/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=103. To match the questionnaire items to the individual learning strategies, you need the item key. This is also available for download as a pdf file from the page mentioned above.