Identifying Cognitive Processing Events during Clicker Exercises and Exploring Their Relationship with Student Learning

摘要

The use of clickers in the classroom has been linked to student learning. However, studiesthat examine the effects of clickers on learning often conceptualize a clicker exercise asa single, homogeneous cognitive processing (CP) event. We offer a conceptualizationof sequenced cognitive activities that unfold during a clicker exercise. An inductiveapproach is adopted to identify three CP events that occur during a clicker exercise:an investigation event, a confirmation event, and a ratification event. We then use datacollected from a sample of 187 students in an undergraduate business capstone course toexplore the relationships between the three CP events and student learning. Contrary toexpectations, not all CP events contribute positively to student learning. We discuss theimplications of these findings and offer directions for future research that advance theunderstanding of clicker-enhanced student learning. These insights afford instructorsnew options for optimizing the contributions of clicker exercises to student learning intheir courses.