ArticlePDF Available

Using Instructional Design Strategies to Foster Curiosity

Authors:
Publication Date: 2003-09-00
Author: Arnone, Marilyn P.
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology Syracuse NY.
Using Instructional Design Strategies to Foster Curiosity
By Marilyn P. Arnone
Introduction
Educators and instructional designers recognize that instilling curiosity in students
encourages their disposition to learn. When students are magnetized by a new idea or a
new situation and are compelled to explore further, regardless of external rewards, they
can be said to be truly motivated. In each new project, they discover seeds for a future
project or a new question to examine. Curiosity is a heightened state of interest resulting
in exploration and its importance in motivating scholarship cannot be ignored. Curiosity
is also a critical component of creativity and fostering curiosity and creativity in today’s
learners is a challenge faced by educators and instructional designers alike. Before
presenting instructional design strategies for fostering curiosity, it will be helpful to
provide some background.
Background and Defining Curiosity
Any discussion of curiosity must begin with Daniel Berlyne, considered to be the seminal
mind in the study of curiosity. His neurophysiological view associated curiosity with
exploratory behavior. He identified two forms of exploratory behavior, diversive (e.g.,
seeking relief from boredom) and specific (e.g., uncertainty, conceptual conflict). It is
specific curiosity that is of most interest to educators. Berlyne described specific
exploration in the context of epistemic curiosity, that is, “the brand of arousal that
motivates the quest for knowledge and is relieved when knowledge is procured” (1960, p.
274). It follows that epistemic curiosity results in specific exploration. This exploration
ultimately resolves the uncertainty or conceptual conflict and returns the individual to a
moderate, pleasurable tonus level. Although his work was cut short by his untimely
death, his accomplishments paved the way for later investigations into the area of
curiosity.
Berlyne’s colleague, Day, extended the work, representing it graphically as a curvilinear
relationship between level of arousal (or stimulation) and efficiency (1982). At the
optimal level, a person enters the Zone of Curiosity characterized by exploration,
excitement, and interest. Below the optimal level, the individual is unmotivated,
disinterested, and inefficient. Beyond the optimal level, the individual enters a Zone of
Anxiety with resulting behaviors including defensiveness, disinterest, avoidance, and
inefficiency. This curvilinear explanation of curiosity was used in later studies including
in an instructional design context exploring differences in young learners’ curiosity and
achievement in an electronic learning environment (Arnone & Grabowski, 1992, Arnone,
Grabowski, & Rynd, 1994).
A number of researchers have placed more weight on cognitive and information
processing factors in explaining curiosity (e.g., Beswick, 1968; Malone, 1981).
Loewenstein (1994) proposed an information-gap theory of specific epistemic curiosity
where a feeling of deprivation occurs when an individual becomes aware of a difference
between “what one knows and what one wants to know” (p.87). Maw and Maw’s (e.g.,
1964) studies resulted in an operationalized definition of curiosity that continues to be
useful: “…curiosity is demonstrated by an elementary school child when he: 1. reacts
positively to new, strange, incongruous, or mysterious elements in his environment by
moving toward them, by exploring, or by manipulating them, 2) exhibits a need or a
desire to know more about himself and/or his environment, 3) scans his surroundings
seeking new experiences, and 4) persists in examining and exploring stimuli in order to
know more about them” (p. 31).
Whatever explanation one accepts, it cannot be dismissed that curiosity is a necessary
ingredient for motivating scholarship. In his motivational design model for enhancing
instruction, Keller (1987) acknowledges the important role that stimulating curiosity
plays in gaining and sustaining learners’ attention, the first component of his model. In
fact, it has been argued that curiosity is an equally important factor in each of the other
components - relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (Arnone & Small, 1995).
Individual Differences
Not everyone is equally curious. Curiosity can be viewed as both a stable personality
feature (trait) and as a condition that can be manipulated (state). Naylor (1981) describes
trait curiosity as individual differences in capacity to experience curiosity, and state
curiosity as individual differences in response to a curiosity-arousing situation.
Strategies That Foster Curiosity in Learners
Most educators would agree that fostering the scholarly attribute of curiosity in learners
is an important task. Providing students with adequate guidance while affording them the
opportunities for exploration, however, is probably easier stated than accomplished. As
mentioned earlier, not all students are highly curious and what might stimulate curiosity
in some students might result in anxiety for others. It becomes the job of the educator
and/or instructional designer to recognize these differences and control the classroom or
other learning environment to accommodate all learners. With this caveat in mind, the
following are ten instructional design strategies for fostering curiosity.
Strategy #1: Curiosity as a Hook
Use curiosity as a primary motivator at the beginning of a lesson by starting, for example,
with a thought-provoking question or surprising statement (Small & Arnone, 2000).
Strategy #2: Conceptual Conflict
Introduce a conceptual conflict when possible. Learners will feel compelled to explore
the conflict until it is resolved. When the student has resolved the conceptual conflict,
he/she will sense a feeling of satisfaction.
Strategy #3: An Atmosphere for Questions
Create an atmosphere where students feel comfortable about raising questions and where
they can test their own hypotheses through discussion and brainstorming. Not only does
this foster curiosity but it also helps to build confidence.
Strategy #4: Time
Allow adequate time for exploration of a topic. If the teacher has been successful in
stimulating curiosity, then learners will want to persist in that exploration.
Strategy #5: Choices
Give students the opportunity for choosing topics within a subject area. For example, in a
writing class, the student can explore a topic of his/her interest while accomplishing the
goals of the writing task. Being allowed to choose a topic that is intrinsically motivating
will help sustain curiosity.
Strategy #6: Curiosity-Arousing Elements
Introduce one or more of the following elements into a lesson to arouse curiosity:
Incongruity
Contradictions
Novelty
Surprise
Complexity
Uncertainty
Learners will desire to explore the source of the incongruity, contradiction, novelty,
uncertainty, etc., and the resulting information will satisfy their curiosity.
Strategy #7: The Right Amount of Stimulation
Be aware of the degree of stimulation that is being entered into the learning situation.
Remember, there are individual differences when it comes to curiosity. Some learners
will become anxious if the stimulus is too complex, too uncertain, too novel, etc. (Gorlitz,
1987). They may quickly leave what Day (1982) refers to as the Zone of Curiosity and
enter the Zone of Anxiety.
Strategy # 8: Exploration
Encourage students to learn through active exploration.
Strategy #9: Rewards
Allow the exploration and discovery to be its own reward. “Exploration is self-rewarding
(Day, 1982, p.19).” Use external rewards judiciously as some studies have shown that
extrinsic rewards given for a task that a learner finds intrinsically motivating may
dampen future interest in the activity.
Strategy #10: Modeling
Model curiosity. Ask questions. Engage in specific exploration to resolve a question
posed, and demonstrate enthusiasm.
Conclusion
To instill curiosity in students is to encourage their disposition to learn. To ignore its
importance is to risk diminishing, if not losing, the endowment of curiosity conferred
upon all at birth.
References
Alberti, E.T. & Witryl, S.L. (1994). The relationship between curiosity and cognitive
ability in third and fifth-grade children. The Journal of Genetic Pyschology, 155(2), 129-
145.
Arnone, M. P. & Small, Ruth V. (1995) Arousing and Sustaining Curiosity: Lessons from
the ARCS Model. In 17
th
Annual Proceedings of Selected Research and Development
Presentations, National Convention of the Association for Educational Communications
and Technology (Anaheim, CA).1-15.
Arnone, M., Grabowski, B., & Rynd, C. (1994). Curiosity as a Personality Variable
Influencing Learning in a Learner Controlled Lesson With and Without Advisement.
Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(1), 5-20.
Arnone, M. & Grabowski, B. (1992). Effects on Children’s Achievement and Curiosity
of Variations in Learner Control Over an Interactive Video Lesson. Educational
Technology Research and Development, 40(1), 15-28.
Berlyne, D.E. (1960). Conflict, Arousal, and Curiosity. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Beswick, D. (1968). Cognitive process theory of individual differences in curiosity. In H.
Day, D.Berlyne, & D. Hunt (Eds.) Intrinsic Motivation: A New Direction in Learning.
Toronto: Rinehart and Winston of Canada.
Day, H.I. (1982). Curiosity and the interested explorer. NSPI Journal, May, 19-22.
Gorlitz, D. (1987). Curiosity, Imagination, and Play: On the Development of
Spontaneous Cognitive and Motivational Processes. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Earl Baum
Associates.
Keller, J. M. (1987 Nov./Dec.). The systematic process of motivational design.
Performance & Instruction, 1-8.
Loewenstein, G. (1994). The psychology of curiosity: A review and reinterpretation.
Psychological Bulletin, 116(1), 75-98.
Malone, T. W. (1981). Toward a theory of intrinsically motivating instruction. Cognitive
Science, 4, 335-369.
Maw, W. & Maw, E. (1964). An exploratory study into the measurement of curiosity in
elementary school children. Cooperative Research Project No. 801.
Naylor, F.D. (1981). A state-trait curiosity inventory. Australian Psychologist, 16(2),
172-183.
Small, R.V. & Arnone, M.P. (2000). Turning Kids On to Research: The Power of
Motivation. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
The Author
Marilyn P. Arnone produces media projects for the child audience that encourage
curiosity for learning and promote information literacy such as "The Strangest Dinosaur
That Never Was" published by Libraries Unlimited in 2003. She has co-authored several
books for educators including "Turning Kids On To Research: The Power of
Motivation." Dr. Arnone is Director of Educational Media at the Center for Digital
Literacy and an adjunct professor at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse
University, and is President of Research and Development at Creative Media Solutions,
Oriental, NC.
... The significance of curiosity in positively affecting various factors relevant to flourishing is evident, yet existing research has predominantly focused on delineating curiosity's multifaceted nature or fostering curiosity as a general construct purported to support education, overlooking the potential applications of fostering curiosity to directly support flourishing (Arnone, 2003;Kashdan & Fincham, 2004;Pluck & Johnson, 2011). As a result, there is a lack of pragmatic tools that actively leverage this trait for holistic human development. ...
Article
Full-text available
This paper reviews seventy years of theoretical research and proposes systematic curiosity as an integrative tool for human flourishing with a focus on four key aspects: firstly, acknowledge curiosity’s multidimensional nature instead of harmonizing its complex taxonomy; secondly, emphasizing intentional curiosity as opposed to impulsive curiosity; thirdly, prioritizing domain-general curiosity for broader applicability across educational, organizational, and therapeutic settings; and lastly, focusing on curiosity as a developable skill rather than an innate trait. By segmenting systematic curiosity into cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components, and relating these to interactions with the self, others, and the world, the framework aims to apply across the spectrum of human experience. Furthermore, the framework encourages an exploration of various evidence-based activities for flourishing so individuals can discover the most suitable strategies for their specific context. Implications for both theory and practice are examined, limitations are discussed, and avenues for future research are suggested.
... 과 동료들이 제안한 흥미형(Interest type) 호 기심과 박탈형(Deprivation type) 호기심 간의 구분과 유사하다 (Litman, 2008;Litman & Jimerson, 2004 (Loewenstein, 1994 (Archer et al., 2017;Jirout & Klahr, 2012 (Arnone, 2003;Jirout et al., 2018;Jirout et al., 2022;Peterson, 2020;. 이러한 움직임은 호기심과 탐 구심의 기질적인 측면에 초점을 맞추어 적 응적인 학습 결과를 예측하는 선행요인으로 주로 다루어졌던 기존 연구 (Berlyne, 1960(Berlyne, , 1978 (Arnone et al., 2011;Jirout et al., 2018;Peterson, 2020 (Jirout et al., 2018). ...
Article
Creative thinking is a vital competency that every school should cultivate to help its students succeed in today’s complex and rapidly changing world. In particular, curiosity and exploration are two key components of creative thinking competency that drive students to initiate and sustain their learning voluntarily. Here, we used two waves (Years 4 and 6, n=6,266) of data from the Korea Educational Longitudinal Study (KELS) 2013 to examine the roles of five classroom instructional strategies (information literacy instruction, questioning, inquiry-based instruction, task-oriented evaluation, and feedback) on high school students’ curiosity and exploration. We also tested whether the effects of these strategies vary by the subjective and objective assessments of student competence (achievement and perceived understanding of courses). The results showed that all five instructional strategies, except for questioning, positively predicted students’ curiosity and exploration, after accounting for their initial scores. Inquiry-based instruction was the best predictor of curiosity, while information literacy instruction and feedback were the best predictors of exploration. Low-achieving students benefited more from feedback in promoting their exploration than high-achieving students. Conversely, students with high perceived understanding of courses benefited more from questioning and inquiry-based instruction in developing their curiosity and exploration than those with low perceived understanding. Educational Impact and Implications : This study provides compelling evidence that the instructional strategies implemented by teachers in high school classrooms can profoundly influence the development of students' curiosity and exploration. Notably, the impact of these strategies is contingent upon students' levels of understanding and academic achievement. For students who possess strong academic competence, instructional approaches that involve posing questions and encouraging inquiry prove highly beneficial in promoting their curiosity and exploration. Conversely, for students who face academic challenges, providing additional feedback or support to help them find the answer seems necessary to boost their curiosity and exploration. By employing effective instructional strategies tailored to individual students' competence levels, teachers can effectively cultivate curiosity and exploration within their classrooms.
... In addition, adaptive expertise, the ability to manage the unexpected, involves emotional awareness and discovery and is as critical to physicians' education as is clinical expertise (Arnone, 2003;Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1993;Dyche & Epstein, 2011;Epstein, 1999). ...
Article
Inspired by my work as a coach in an academic medical center, this paper explores the mechanisms of presence and mindfulness as axioms to developing rapport within physician interprofessional engagement. Away from the physician-patient relationship, the focus here is on faculty, physicians, residents, and other clinical providers and how they relate to one another. Transpersonal experiences foster a connectedness of rapport that allows for deeper connection and mutuality. Participation in the mindfulness mechanisms of intention and attention can mitigate negative affective behavior in relationship with oneself and others. Mindful awareness encourages curiosity, presence, and rapport, which support healthy relationships. My coaching engagements with physicians focus on shifting their awareness to conscious choice with intention. It is not about how they practice medicine but how they practice presence and rapport toward developing healthy interprofessional relationships.
... The origins of this course on learning through play began as a colleague and I were exploring the intersections of curiosity and research behaviors (Rempel & Deitering, 2017). As we gained a deeper understanding of how librarians and university instructors could facilitate pedagogical practices that encouraged students to engage their curiosity, some of the recommendations for curiosity-based learning such as including curiosity-arousing elements like novelty, stimulation, and active exploration (Arnone, 2003), led me to consider the role of play and practice more deeply. At the time, I was only teaching information literacy guest lecture sessions. ...
Article
Full-text available
True learning happens when we try new things - when we practice something, see how it goes, and then try it again. Pedagogical practices that encourage metacognition and active reflection are built on this premise. But these practices take time, and university instructors are pressured to cover as much content as possible in a term. Practice also feels like a luxury to students who receive few opportunities for evaluative feedback, and who don’t want to sacrifice a good grade for the sake of trying something new. As a result, learners tend to play it safe. But when the skills of metacognition are presented through the lens of play, which encourages and builds in room for graceful failure, learners become more open to reflective practices and experimentation. In a term-long course for undergraduates entitled ‘Learning Through Play’, I introduce learners to an information literacy-based research process while using the language and theories of play. Learners ultimately build their own game, but along the way, they practice key elements of the research process: exploring and researching a topic from multiple angles; reading the scholarly literature in a scaffolded manner; and using relevant background information to create something new. I lead class-wide games to help reinforce these topics, and students adapt and lead games in small groups to practice experimentation and cooperation. In this article, I share my course design, the theories underpinning this approach to learning, and suggestions for others who might want to teach a similar course.
... Accroding to Tomlinson, (1998) defines "materials development" as "everything that writers, teachers and learners are doing, in a way that maximizes the possibility of consumption, to supply sources of language input and to use these inputs". Another interpretation such as instructional material design (Small, 1997), course development (Grave, 1997), course books (Harmer, 2007), instructional design strategies (Arnone, 2003), there are more inclusive definitions of the term 'material development.' It covers a range of behaviors that lead to efficient teaching and learning environments. ...
Article
Full-text available
Digitarian nor Cloudzilla era to days in the university to teaching EFL like Indonesia, involved mobile and digital apps. One of mobile apps use Padlet to designing e-contents. In this study, the advantages Padlet apps as developing cloud ELT materials for Mathematic students at teacher training and education faculty were investigated. This research was carried out using a preliminary phase approach for research and development, which gathers information, planning's, product development and expert validation. The results show that feedback from respondents on the developing Padlet apps as tools for e-materials is positive and eight units as prototype of English learning material in the form of listening, writing and speaking by using video spoken, written sentences and spoken were the output of this project. The activities enable the students to participate actively in the lectures and to participate in the task resolution. This research is useful for teachers who teach EFL as the advantages that Padlet gives can make EFL process more efficient and engaging, which complies with teaching and learning from the age of 21st century.
... Accroding to Tomlinson, (1998) defines "materials development" as "everything that writers, teachers and learners are doing, in a way that maximizes the possibility of consumption, to supply sources of language input and to use these inputs". Another interpretation such as instructional material design (Small, 1997), course development (Grave, 1997), course books (Harmer, 2007), instructional design strategies (Arnone, 2003), there are more inclusive definitions of the term 'material development.' It covers a range of behaviors that lead to efficient teaching and learning environments. ...
Article
Full-text available
Digitarian nor Cloudzilla era to days in the university to teaching EFL like Indonesia, involved mobile and digital apps. One of mobile apps use Padlet to designing e-contents. In this study, the advantages Padlet apps as developing cloud ELT materials for Mathematic students at teacher training and education faculty were investigated. This research was carried out using a preliminary phase approach for research and development, which gathers information, planning's, product development and expert validation. The results show that feedback from respondents on the developing Padlet apps as tools for e-materials is positive and eight units as prototype of English learning material in the form of listening, writing and speaking by using video spoken, written sentences and spoken were the output of this project. The activities enable the students to participate actively in the lectures and to participate in the task resolution. This research is useful for teachers who teach EFL as the advantages that Padlet gives can make EFL process more efficient and engaging, which complies with teaching and learning from the age of 21st century.
Article
هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى بحث مدى فعالية أسلوب الاستقصاء الموجه في تنمية حب الاستطلاع والقدرات الابتكارية والتحصيل . وقد برمجت وحدتان من مادة العلوم بالصف الرابع الابتدائي بأسلوب الاستقصاء الموجه. كما أعد اختبارانلقياس حب الاستطلاع اللفظي والشكلي، ونتج عن تجريبهما مرتين الحصول على معاملات ثبات مناسبة ( 72،76) لحب الاستطلاع اللفظي ، و ( 78،80 ) لحب الاستطلاع الشكلي .
Chapter
The Handbook of Augmented Reality Training Design Principles is for anyone interested in using augmented reality and other forms of simulation to design better training. It includes eleven design principles aimed at training recognition skills for combat medics, emergency department physicians, military helicopter pilots, and others who must rapidly assess a situation to determine actions. Chapters on engagement, creating scenario-based training, fidelity and realism, building mental models, and scaffolding and reflection use real-world examples and theoretical links to present approaches for incorporating augmented reality training in effective ways. The Learn, Experience, Reflect framework is offered as a guide to applying these principles to training design. This handbook is a useful resource for innovative design training that leverages the strengths of augmented reality to create an engaging and productive learning experience.
Article
Full-text available
Research on curiosity has undergone 2 waves of intense activity. The 1st, in the 1960s, focused mainly on curiosity's psychological underpinnings. The 2nd, in the 1970s and 1980s, was characterized by attempts to measure curiosity and assess its dimensionality. This article reviews these contributions with a concentration on the 1st wave. It is argued that theoretical accounts of curiosity proposed during the 1st period fell short in 2 areas: They did not offer an adequate explanation for why people voluntarily seek out curiosity, and they failed to delineate situational determinants of curiosity. Furthermore, these accounts did not draw attention to, and thus did not explain, certain salient characteristics of curiosity: its intensity, transience, association with impulsivity, and tendency to disappoint when satisfied. A new account of curiosity is offered that attempts to address these shortcomings. The new account interprets curiosity as a form of cognitively induced deprivation that arises from the perception of a gap in knowledge or understanding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
Full-text available
While the ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) model has provided educators with a heuristic approach to generally increasing the motivational appeal of instruction, it may also provide a model for stimulating and sustaining curiosity in particular. Such a model is of great use to educators who are concerned with encouraging curiosity as a prime intrinsic motivator for learning and to designers of computer-based systems who wish to incorporate specific strategies for arousing and sustaining the curiosity of users. This conceptual paper explores the construct of curiosity and examines its relationship to all of the ARCS components. A review of research on curiosity includes curiosity as a state of arousal leading to exploratory behavior; levels of arousal; specific, diversive, trait and state nature of curiosity; curiosity as it relates to elementary school children; the importance of information seeking, processing, and evaluating behaviors; sensory and cognitive curiosity; feedback; and correlation between curiosity and intelligence quotient. The relationship of curiosity to each of the ARCS components is examined. Discussion includes strategies for gaining and sustaining attention, external motivation, tying instruction to the learner's experiences, informative feedback and anxiety reduction, and the ARCS components in relation to the Zone of Curiosity.
Book
Small, Ruth V.; Arnone, Marilyn P. Taking into consideration the motivational needs of different students, the book discusses both internal and external motivators such as attaining a sense of achievement or leadership versus earning a physical reward such as candy or a field trip. These and other motivating factors are then incorporated into discussions of how to create productive research sessions. The book is organized into five chapters following the basic steps of the research process. After presenting motivational theories as a foundation for information skills instruction, the book moves on to methods of generating and maintaining interest in the research process and confidence in research abilities. From there, it explores the promotion of valuing information skills, satisfaction in research accomplishments, and continuing information exploration. Easy entry points in each chapter include "Motivational Moments" from real teachers and school media specialists that summarize research-based lesson plans that succeeded in both challenging and exciting students. Each chapter also includes a sample "Lackluster Lesson Plan" followed by the same lesson plan after a "Motivational Makeover." Chapters close with review questions, an answer page, a page for notes, and lists of references. (Contains an index.) (AEF)
Article
Individual differences on an established laboratory task of visual short-term novelty preferences were correlated with achievement test scores for 40 third-grade and 45 fifth-grade children. A positive correlation (r = .35, p < .002) for the total sample (N = 85) confirmed the often hypothesized influence of curiosity motivation on intellectual performance; subsample gender-grade inconsistencies were statistically interpreted as a consequence of errant individual strategies and limited variance in the novelty task. The relationships were cross-validated in a companion study with the same short-term novelty paradigm, but with a play construction task for novelty preferences and a different achievement test battery for second- and fifth-grade children. High correlations between teacher ratings of curiosity and achievement test scores, when analyzed by multiple regression procedures, seemed to be an artifact of teachers' knowledge of their students' intellectual status.
Article
THE POSSIBILITY OF DEVELOPING A NUMBER OF PAPER AND PENCIL TEST INSTRUMENTS AND TECHNIQUES WAS EXPLORED FOR YIELDING RELIABLE MEASURES OF CURIOSITY AMONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN. INVESTIGATIONS WERE CONDUCTED IN APPROXIMATELY 40 FIFTH-GRADE CLASSROOMS AND CARRIED OUT IN 2 PHASES--A PREPARATION PHASE AND A TESTING PHASE. IT WAS FIRST NECESSARY TO IDENTIFY GROUPS OF CHILDREN POSSESSING DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF CURIOSITY, AND TO DO THIS, CURIOSITY ITSELF, AS IT PERTAINED TO SCHOOL CHILDREN, HAD TO BE DEFINED. A MAJOR STUDY TESTED A FINAL BATTERY OF 11 ITEMS DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS--(1) PICTURE-AND-STORY-SATISFACTION, (2) PREFERRED-BEHAVIOR, (3) HIDDEN-PICTURE, (4) BREADTH-OF-INFORMATION, (5) MEMORY-FOR INCOMPLETE-STORY, (6) PREFERENCE-FOR-THE-UNBALANCED-AND/OR-UNFAMILIAR, (7) WHICH-SAYING-DO-YOU-BELIEVE, (8) RIDDLE-PATH-PUZZLE, (9) CODE-TEST, (10) FOOLISH-SAYINGS-TEST, AND (11) MAZE-TEST. THESE ITEMS WERE THEN TESTED FOR RELIABILITY IN MEASURING CURIOSITY. NO SINGLE ITEM OR ANY COMBINATION THEREOF WAS SUCCESSFUL IN IDENTIFYING WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF ACCURACY CURIOSITY IN ANY GIVEN CHILD. WITH RESPECT TO THE SELECTION OF GROUPS OF CHILDREN WITH HIGH CURIOSITY, HOWEVER, THE TESTS WERE MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHICH PROVIDED DISTURBANCES AND NOVELTY FACTORS AND WHICH MEASURED BREADTH-OF-KNOWLEDGE AND PERSISTENCE. PERHAPS THE GREATEST CONTRIBUTION OF THIS PROJECT WAS THAT IT PROVIDED DATA FOR STIMULATING A NUMBER OF BROADER STUDIES IN THIS FIELD. THESE POTENTIAL PROGRAMS WERE OUTLINED IN THE REPORT. (JH)
Article
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of variations in learner control on children's level of curiosity and learning from computer-based interactive video (CBIV). The content was presented as a videodisc visit to an art museum and contained both facts and concepts. A posttest-only control group design was employed with 101 first-and second-grade subjects randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions—Program Control, Learner Control, Learner Control with Advisement—or a control group. The dependent variables were achievement and three measures of curiosity. Children in the Learner Control with Advisement group scored significantly higher on the achievement posttest than the Learner Control subjects or control group. No differences were found between the Program Control and either of the Learner Control groups. For the curiosity measures, the Learner Control with Advisement subjects scored significantly higher than the control group on Content Exploration, and the subjects in the control group scored significantly higher than those in the Program Control group on Persistence.