Media interactivity, cognitive flexibility, and self-efficacy.

Abstract

This dissertation examines how a characteristic of interactive databases, user-controlled sequencing, might help learners develop greater gains of self-efficacy and expertise than do more passive media formats. Theoretical perspectives which provide insight into this subject include cognitive flexibility theory, schema theory, distributed cognition, and self-efficacy theory. It is hypothesized that interactive user sequencing of content will influence gains in knowledge and self-efficacy regarding the utilization of information presented. It is also hypothesized that different information processing styles will mediate the effects of media interactivity upon self-efficacy. Seventy-two subjects, assigned to three experimental groups, accessed a computer-based, multimedia information source pertaining to CPR and choking first aid for the purpose of learning about these techniques. Group treatments differed according to the level of user-sequencing control allowed to users as well as whether or not they were constrained to a pedagogical sequence determined by the linear structure of the content. Analysis of pre-treatment and post-treatment measurements revealed no statistically significant effects of media interactivity on knowledge gain or self-efficacy gain. The interaction of the perseverance/help-hints information processing style with media interactivity treatment had an effect upon self-efficacy measured as statistically significant at the 0.10 level. This interaction indicated that those who prefer perseverance are less likely to experience self-efficacy changes due to media interactivity. It is concluded that an individual's information processing style has the potential to influence changes in self-efficacy when he/she learns from different media formats. This conclusion, however, is treated with skepticism in consideration of the relatively low degree of significance of the findings and because the perseverance/help-hints measurement was the only one of four conceptually related measurements which yielded results approaching statistical significance. The main effect of user satisfaction and the interaction effect of user satisfaction with media treatment group upon self-efficacy gain were also measured as statistically significant.