Example-based learning in heuristic domains: can using relevant content knowledge support the effective allocation of intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive load?

Introduction: Worked examples support initial skill acquisition. They often show skill application on content knowledge from another, "exemplifying" domain (e.g.

Can prior knowledge increase task complexity? - Cases in which higher prior knowledge leads to higher intrinsic cognitive load.

Background & Aims: Cognitive load theory assumes that the higher the learner's prior knowledge (i.e., the more expert the learner), the lower the intrinsic cognitive load (complexity) experienced for a given problem.

Mechanisms behind the testing effect: an empirical investigation of retrieval practice in meaningful learning.

The testing effect-more learning by testing as compared to restudying-is a well-established finding. A typical testing procedure in the context of meaningful learning comprises a recall task after an initial study phase. Different theories refer to different mechanisms when explaining the positive effects of such recall tasks.

Integrated learning: ways of fostering the applicability of teachers' pedagogical and psychological knowledge.

In teacher education, general pedagogical and psychological knowledge (PPK) is often taught separately from the teaching subject itself, potentially leading to inert knowledge. In an experimental study with 69 mathematics student teachers, we tested the benefits of fostering the integration of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and general PPK with respect to knowledge application. Integration was fostered either by integrating the contents or by prompting the learners to integrate separately taught knowledge.

An eye movement pre-training fosters the comprehension of processes and functions in technical systems.

The main research goal of the present study was to investigate in how far pre-training eye movements can facilitate knowledge acquisition in multimedia (pre-training principle). We combined considerations from research on eye movement modeling and pre-training to design and test a non-verbal eye movement-based pre-training. Participants in the experimental condition watched an animated circle moving in close spatial resemblance to a static visualization of a solar plant accompanied by a narration in a subsequently presented learning environment.