How Prior Knowledge, Gesture Instruction, and Interference after Instruction Interact to Influence Learning of Mathematical Equivalence
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| Title: | How Prior Knowledge, Gesture Instruction, and Interference after Instruction Interact to Influence Learning of Mathematical Equivalence |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Susan Wagner Cook, Elle M. D. Wernette, Madison Valentine, Mary Aldugom, Todd Pruner, Kimberly M. Fenn |
| Source: | Cognitive Science. 2024 48(2). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 30 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) |
| Contract Number: | 1561182 1561122 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Grade 2 Primary Education Grade 3 |
| Descriptors: | Prior Learning, Nonverbal Communication, Grade 2, Grade 3, Elementary School Students, Mathematics Instruction, Video Technology, Problem Solving, Instructional Effectiveness, Interference (Learning) |
| DOI: | 10.1111/cogs.13412 |
| ISSN: | 0364-0213 1551-6709 |
| Abstract: | Although children learn more when teachers gesture, it is not clear "how" gesture supports learning. Here, we sought to investigate the nature of the memory processes that underlie the observed benefits of gesture on lasting learning. We hypothesized that instruction with gesture might create memory representations that are particularly resistant to interference. We investigated this possibility in a classroom study with 402 second- and third-grade children. Participants received classroom-level instruction in mathematical equivalence using videos with or without accompanying gesture. After instruction, children solved problems that were either visually similar to the problems that were taught, and consistent with an operational interpretation of the equal sign (interference), or visually distinct from equivalence problems and without an equal sign (control) in order to assess the role of gesture in resisting interference after learning. Gesture facilitated learning, but the effects of gesture and interference varied depending on type of problem being solved and the strategies that children used to solve problems prior to instruction. Some children benefitted from gesture, while others did not. These findings have implications for understanding the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effect of gesture on mathematical learning, revealing that gesture does not work via a general mechanism like enhancing attention or engagement that would apply to children with all forms of prior knowledge. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Notes: | https://osf.io/pcn5j |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1418270 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | Although children learn more when teachers gesture, it is not clear "how" gesture supports learning. Here, we sought to investigate the nature of the memory processes that underlie the observed benefits of gesture on lasting learning. We hypothesized that instruction with gesture might create memory representations that are particularly resistant to interference. We investigated this possibility in a classroom study with 402 second- and third-grade children. Participants received classroom-level instruction in mathematical equivalence using videos with or without accompanying gesture. After instruction, children solved problems that were either visually similar to the problems that were taught, and consistent with an operational interpretation of the equal sign (interference), or visually distinct from equivalence problems and without an equal sign (control) in order to assess the role of gesture in resisting interference after learning. Gesture facilitated learning, but the effects of gesture and interference varied depending on type of problem being solved and the strategies that children used to solve problems prior to instruction. Some children benefitted from gesture, while others did not. These findings have implications for understanding the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effect of gesture on mathematical learning, revealing that gesture does not work via a general mechanism like enhancing attention or engagement that would apply to children with all forms of prior knowledge. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0364-0213 1551-6709 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/cogs.13412 |
