Collaborative Research: The Effects of Mind-Wandering on the Learning and Retention of STEM Content: Experimental and Individual Differences Investigation

AbstractThe当前的项目探讨了一个重要的，但被忽视的因素，在学习科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）材料，即，无意识的走神，或瞬间注意力从外部刺激或事件，如文本或讲座。虽然走神在学习过程中非常普遍（在典型的课堂讲座中高达40%的时间），但很少有研究揭示走神对STEM学习的潜在影响。为了填补这一知识空白，来自两个机构（科罗拉多大学博尔德分校和北卡罗来纳州大学格林斯伯勒）的研究小组研究了：（a）走神如何影响STEM概念的学习和保留;（B）典型的课堂行为（例如，（3）为减少走神而设计的干预措施是否最终能改善学习和记忆;（4）认知和非认知变量的个体差异如何影响走神，以及典型的课堂行为或设计的干预措施对哪类个体的影响最大（积极或消极）。虽然这项主要是实验室的研究将集中在大学生的基本统计学习，跨上下文的普遍存在使这项工作与其他STEM学科相关，因为STEM学习通常直接建立在以前学习的概念上，因此，早期学习失败可能对后续学习产生特别严重的负面级联效应。通过一系列系统的实验室实验和个体差异研究以及大规模的课堂观察研究。实验室研究将评估STEM学习从现实的视频讲座，在此期间，学生？偶尔会探测到当下的想法;此外，对认知能力的严格的个体差异测量（即，执行功能）、先前的STEM知识和STEM动机，可以评估它们对走神和学习的影响。实验室研究操作将测试记笔记和多任务处理对学生的影响程度？注意听课，从而影响学习。实验室干预将试图通过脚手架注意力或增加STEM材料的个人相关性来减少走神（并增加学习）。课堂观察研究将评估个人相关性和注意力增强（或破坏）课堂行为预测STEM课程成绩的程度。总之，这些研究将首次系统和严格地调查走神对STEM学习和保持的影响。了解学生在课堂上走神的机制和后果对于制定最大限度地提高STEM学习的干预措施至关重要。拟议的研究将使随后的规模扩大，理论动机的干预措施，不仅为干教室，但也为在线多媒体学习环境。此外，对典型课堂行为的关注（例如，记笔记和媒体多任务处理）和一般潜在的认知和动机因素（例如，执行功能，先验知识和个人相关性）使得拟议研究的发现和见解与许多STEM（和非STEM）学科广泛相关。拟议的项目还将为本科生和研究生研究助理以及博士后助理提供独特的培训机会，教他们整合实验和心理测量方法，并将其应用于实验室和真实的课堂环境。

AbstractThe current project examines an important yet neglected factor in the learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) materials, namely, involuntary mind-wandering, or momentary attention lapses from external stimuli or events, such as texts or lectures. Although mind-wandering is highly prevalent during attempts at learning (as high as 40% of the time during typical classroom lectures), little research has been done to shed light on the potential influences of mind-wandering on STEM learning. To fill this gap in knowledge, the research team from two institutions (University of Colorado Boulder and University of North Carolina Greensboro) examines: (a) how mind-wandering affects learning and retention of STEM concepts; (b) how typical classroom behaviors (e.g., note-taking, media multitasking) influence mind-wandering during lectures, thereby affecting learning and retention; (c) whether interventions designed to decrease mind-wandering ultimately improve learning and retention; and (d) how individual differences in both cognitive and noncognitive variables influence mind-wandering and what sort of individuals are affected most (either positively or negatively) by typical classroom behaviors or designed interventions. Although this primarily laboratory research will focus on basic statistics learning among college students, the prevalence of mind-wandering across contexts makes this work relevant to other STEM disciplines as well, because STEM learning often builds directly on previously learned concepts and, hence, early learning failures may have a particularly severe negative cascading effect on subsequent learning.The project takes a converging-operations approach, through a systematic series of laboratory-based experimental and individual-differences studies as well as a large-scale classroom observational study. Laboratory studies will assess STEM learning from realistic video lectures, during which students? in-the-moment thoughts are occasionally probed; moreover, rigorous individual-differences measurement of cognitive ability (i.e., executive functions), prior STEM knowledge, and STEM motivation, enables the assessment of their influences on mind-wandering and on learning. Lab-study manipulations will test the extent to which note-taking and multitasking affect students? attention to lectures and thereby influence learning. Laboratory interventions will attempt to decrease mind-wandering (and increase learning) by scaffolding attention or by increasing personal relevance of STEM material. The classroom-observation study will assess the extent to which personal relevance and attention-enhancing (or disrupting) classroom behaviors predict STEM course grades. Together, these studies will provide the first systematic and rigorous investigations into the effects of mind-wandering on STEM learning and retention. Understanding the mechanisms and consequences of student mind-wandering in classrooms is crucial to developing interventions that maximize STEM learning. The proposed research will enable subsequent scaled-up, theoretically motivated interventions for not only STEM classrooms but also for on-line multimedia learning environments. Moreover, the focus on typical classroom behaviors (e.g., note-taking and media multitasking) and general underlying cognitive and motivational factors (e.g., executive functions, prior knowledge, and personal relevance) makes the findings and insights from the proposed research broadly relevant to many STEM (and non-STEM) disciplines. The proposed project will also provide unique training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate research assistants and a postdoctoral associate by teaching them to integrate experimental and psychometric methods and applying them to both laboratory and authentic classroom settings.