Drawing pictures during learning from scientific text: TESTING the generative drawing effect and the prognostic drawing effect

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Authors

  • Annett Schmeck
  • Richard E. Mayer
  • Maria Opfermann
  • Vanessa Pfeiffer
  • Detlev Leutner

Does using a learner-generated drawing strategy (i.e., drawing pictures during reading) foster students' engagement in generative learning during reading? In two experiments, 8th-grade students (Exp. 1: N = 48; Exp. 2: N = 164) read a scientific text explaining the biological process of influenza and then took two learning outcome tests. In Experiment 1, students who were asked to draw pictures during reading (learner-generated drawing group), scored higher than students who only read (control group) on a multiple-choice comprehension test (d = 0.85) and on a drawing test (d = 1.15). In Experiment 2, students in the learner-generated drawing group scored significantly higher than the control group on both a multiple-choice comprehension test (d = 0.52) and on a drawing test (d = 1.89), but students who received author-generated pictures in addition to drawing or author-generated pictures only did not. Additionally, the drawing-accuracy scores during reading correlated with comprehension test scores (r =.623, r =.470) and drawing scores (r =.620, r =.615) in each experiment, respectively. These results provide further evidence for the generative drawing effect and the prognostic drawing effect, thereby confirming the benefits of the learner-generated drawing strategy.

Original languageEnglish
JournalContemporary Educational Psychology
Volume39
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)275-286
Number of pages12
ISSN0361-476X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.10.2014
Externally publishedYes

    Research areas

  • Drawing, Generative drawing effect, Generative learning activities, Prognostic drawing effect, Text comprehension
  • Psychology