Roger Taylor

Boston University | BU

Evaluation of Data Visualization Software for Large Astronomical Data Sets

We have developed a computer-based learning environment that helps students learn science by constructing causal concept map models. The system builds upon research in learning-by-teaching (LBT) and has students take on the role and responsibilities of being the teacher to a virtual student named Betty. The environment is structured so that success...

Knowledge of the equal sign as an indicator of mathematical equality is foundational to children's mathematical development and serves as a key link between arithmetic and algebra. The current findings reaffirmed a past finding that diverse items can be integrated onto a single scale, revealed the wide variability in children's knowledge of the equ...

Given that astronomy heavily relies on visual representations it is especially likely for individuals to assume that instructional materials, such as visual representations of the Earth–Moon system (EMS), would be relatively accurate. However, in our research, we found that images in middle-school textbooks and educational webpages were commonly in...

Traditional Learning Activities such as listening to a lecture or reading from a text are typically abstract and decontextualized. The information presented is often intentionally decontextualized under the assumption that making the information more abstract will enhance transfer. The major problem with this type of instruction is that students ar...

Knowledge of mathematical equivalence, the principle that 2 sides of an equation represent the same value, is a foundational concept in algebra, and this knowledge develops throughout elementary and middle school. Using a construct-modeling approach, we developed an assessment of equivalence knowledge. Second through sixth graders (N = 175) complet...

Over two thousand years ago, the Greek scholar Eratosthenes performed an elegant experiment in which he accurately calculated the size of the Earth through the use of geometry and the measurement of the length of a shadow. The authors conducted an empirical study in which middle school students engaged in the authentic inquiry task of replicating E...

This study investigated potential differences in learning between two instruc-tional activities: reading from a text and using a computer simulation. Par-ticipants were undergraduate students with limited knowledge of the domain topic (project management). Participants in both conditions (Simulation and Text) improved equally on a decontextualized,...

Scientific literacy is a critical skill that requires the ability to deeply comprehend challenging scientific concepts. This research investigated the effectiveness of extended classroom practice with an automated reading strategy training program (iSTART) that is designed to enhance the comprehension of expository science text. Twelve 9th grade st...

Scientific literacy is a critical skill that requires the ability to deeply comprehend difficult scientific concepts. However, comprehending science texts is often a challenge for low-knowledge readers. This research assessed the effectiveness of an automated reading strategy training program (iSTART) to improve comprehension for low-knowledge stud...

There has been a national call for increased use of computers and technology in schools. Currently, however, little is known about how students use and learn from these new technologies. This study examines how students search for, browse, and learn specific information when performing an on-line (Web) versus an off-line (Library) search. Twenty-ei...

Although computer-based simulations of workplaces are a promising way to prepare high school students for the world of work, it is unclear how many workplace simulations exist and how suitable they are for school-to-work programs. An extensive survey located 142 workplace simulations, many of which were not intended for the school-to-work market. T...

The relationship between emotions and learning was investigated by tracking the affective states that college students experiencedwhile interacting with AutoTutor, an intelligent tutoring system with conversational dialogue. An emotionally responsive tutor would presumably facilitate learning, but this would only occur if learner emotions can be ac...

This study investigated the transitions between affective states (i.e., boredom, flow, confusion, frustration, delight, and surprise) during learning while college students were tutored in computer literacy by AutoTutor, an automated tutoring system with natural language dialogue. Videos of participants' faces and the interaction histories were rec...

Topic interest may induce students to more actively engage in productive learning strategies. This research demonstrated that the self-explanation quality of students with little background science knowledge or lower reading ability were significantly influenced by their general interest in the domain of science.

This research demonstrates the utility of automatically monitoring a student's posture to track the affective states of boredom and flow, which have been shown to influence learning. After a tutoring session with AutoTutor, the affective states of the student were rated by the learner, a peer, and two trained judges. Our results indicated that the...