CID: A Framework for the Cognitive Analysis of Composite Instructional Designs

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: CID: A Framework for the Cognitive Analysis of Composite Instructional Designs
Language: English
Authors: Katharina Loibl (ORCID 0000-0002-1773-1913), Timo Leuders (ORCID 0000-0002-7621-7826), Inga Glogger-Frey (ORCID 0000-0002-1409-2116), Nikol Rummel (ORCID 0000-0002-3187-5534)
Source: Instructional Science: An International Journal of the Learning Sciences. 2025 53(6):1485-1509.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 25
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Instructional Design, Models, Learning Processes, Knowledge Level
DOI: 10.1007/s11251-024-09665-9
ISSN: 0020-4277
1573-1952
Abstract: Instruction often spans multiple phases (e.g., phases of discovery learning, instructional explanations, practice) with different learning goals and different pedagogies. For any combination of multiple phases, we use the term composite instructional design (CID). To understand the mechanisms underlying composite instructional designs, we propose a framework that links three levels (knowledge, learning, instruction) across multiple phases: Its core element is the specification of learning mechanisms that explain how intermediate knowledge (i.e., the knowledge state between instructional phases) generated by the learning processes of one phase impacts the learning processes of a following phase. The CID framework serves as a basis for conducting research on composite instructional designs based on a cognitive analysis, which we exemplify by discussing existing research in light of the framework. We discuss how the CID framework supports understanding of the effects of composite instructional designs beyond the individual effects of the single phases through an analysis of effects on intermediate knowledge (i.e., the knowledge state resulting from a first instructional phase) and how it alters the learning processes initiated by the instructional design of a second phase. We also aim to illustrate how CID can help resolve contradictory findings of prior studies (e.g., studies that did or did not find beneficial effects of problem solving prior to instruction). Methodologically, we highlight the challenge of altering one learning mechanism at a time as experimental variations on the instructional design level often affect multiple learning processes across phases.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1493373
Database: ERIC
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Description
Abstract:Instruction often spans multiple phases (e.g., phases of discovery learning, instructional explanations, practice) with different learning goals and different pedagogies. For any combination of multiple phases, we use the term composite instructional design (CID). To understand the mechanisms underlying composite instructional designs, we propose a framework that links three levels (knowledge, learning, instruction) across multiple phases: Its core element is the specification of learning mechanisms that explain how intermediate knowledge (i.e., the knowledge state between instructional phases) generated by the learning processes of one phase impacts the learning processes of a following phase. The CID framework serves as a basis for conducting research on composite instructional designs based on a cognitive analysis, which we exemplify by discussing existing research in light of the framework. We discuss how the CID framework supports understanding of the effects of composite instructional designs beyond the individual effects of the single phases through an analysis of effects on intermediate knowledge (i.e., the knowledge state resulting from a first instructional phase) and how it alters the learning processes initiated by the instructional design of a second phase. We also aim to illustrate how CID can help resolve contradictory findings of prior studies (e.g., studies that did or did not find beneficial effects of problem solving prior to instruction). Methodologically, we highlight the challenge of altering one learning mechanism at a time as experimental variations on the instructional design level often affect multiple learning processes across phases.
ISSN:0020-4277
1573-1952
DOI:10.1007/s11251-024-09665-9