Compensation Mechanisms when Interacting with Learning Aids

Abstract

Learning environments commonly offer aids to address learners' lack of knowledge or skills. However, learners are not or sub-optimally using these aids when these are non-embedded or segregated (Aleven, Stahl, Schworm, Fischer, & Wallace, 2003; Clarebout & Elen, 2006). This lack of optimal usage has been related to variables as self-regulation and prior knowledge (e.g., Hill & Hannafin, 2001; Land, 2000). Given this relationship between learning aid usage and prior knowledge and self-regulation, we focused in this study upon the interaction between these two learner variables and the embeddedness of learning aids (embedded-segregated). Fifty-seven university students randomly assigned to two conditions participated. Results indicate that segregating learning aids is beneficial for learners with high prior knowledge and low self-regulation skills, as well as for learners with low prior knowledge and high self-regulation skills. This result reveals the compensatory relationship between domain-specific prior knowledge and domain-general regulation skills.