The Relationship between Situated Learning Theory and ABCMouse.com

By: Cassandra Mobley8/31/2013

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROBLEM

The impact of learning theories have become effective with online learning programs.

Instructional designer must be “willing to accept that game developers have somehow stumbled on new learning and instructional theory, it stand to reason that the things we do know about effective instruction and learning are present these games, if it modified forms.” (Ferdig, 2009, pg. 180)

If the program meets designers

goal and produces advances

math and reading skills it

may be the prototype for future

k-12 online learning platforms.

PURPOSE STATEMENT

The two phases sequential mixed method will support the

combination of Situated Learning with learning program

ABCMouse.com. The qualitative method supports Situated

Learning Theory based in James Jerome Gibson’s Theory of

Affordances, Lev Vygotsky’ s Social Development Theory

and Alan Schoenfeld’s Mathematical Problem Solving while

the quantitative experimental design will illustrates the

effectiveness of applying Situated Learning Theory with

learning programs such as ABCMouse. (Culatta, 2013)

RESEARCHHYPOTHESIS

To what extent does Situated Learning Theories assist with the instructional goals of having “web-based software providing a visual representation of the learning cycle and facilitates student’s action and reflection, as well as their interaction with others” in learning program ABCMouse? (Dempsey, Reiser, 2012, pg. 39)

ResearchMethodology

Strategy SEQUENTIAL EXPLORATORY which will allow “quantitative data and results assist in the interpretation of qualitative findings.” (Creswell, 2009, pg. 211)

QUALITATIVESITUATED LEARNING THEORIES

SITUATED LEARNING THEORY

James Jerome GibsonTheory of

Affordances,

Lev Vygotsky Social Development

Theory

Alan SchoenfeldMathematical

Problem Solving

QUANITATIVEEXPERIMENTAL DATA

PRE-TESTPOST-TEST

CONTROL GROUP DESIGN

ResearchTheoretical Approach

QUANTITATIVE Rank-Order Scale 95 Rank-Order Scale 87 Rank-Order Scale 97

LETTER RECOGNITION QUALITATIVE Q Scores

Pre-test/Post-test 2 75

W Scores Pre-test/Post-test 3 85

R Scores Pre-test/Post-test 4 100

SITUATED LEARNING THEORIES

“Theoretical review in which the researcherfocuses on extant theory

that relates to the problem under study”

(Creswell, 2009, pg.28)

QuantitativeQualitative

SUMMARYEthical Concerns

Experimental ValidityFalsified findingsUnbiased LanguageMisrepresentation of data Inability to Reproduce ExperimentBiases of Focus Group

To overcome these possibilities researcher need to insure the research can be retested with other

learning software as well as other core subjects.

SummaryLegitimation Validity

• A validity strategy with mixed method is referred as “validity legitimation” which define by “sample selection, sample size, follow-up on contradictory results, bias in data collection, inadequate procedures or the use of conflicting research questions” as it relates to the “research process, philosophical issues and the inferences from the study.”

(Creswell, 2009, pg. 220)

SUMMARY

Using the pragmatic worldview, concurrent mixed method and theoretical review the concepts of situated learning theory will be

investigated with learning platform ABCMouse.com. The qualitative research will be developed through rank order survey

from a homeschool focus group and supported by learning theorist Vygotsky, Gibson and Schoenfeld; while the quantitative

research will provide evidence from a true experiment of student’s progress using the program. The sequential exploratory strategy will interpret the qualitative research of situated learning

with quantitative research of knowledge acquisition from ABCMouse to determine the effectiveness of the program.

(Creswell, 2009)

References

Creswell, J.W. (2009) Research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches, 3rd edition. Saga,

Thousand Oaks, CA.

Culatta, R (2013). Instructional design: situated learning, Lava R. InnovatedLearning.com. Retrieved from

http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/situated-learning.html.

Dempsey J.V. & Reiser R.A. (2012) Trends and issues in instructional design and technology 3rd edition. Allyn &

Bacon, Boston, MA.

Ferdig, R. E. (2009). Handbook of research on effective electronic gaming in education. Hershey, PA: Information

Science Reference.

Picture TakenABCMouse Early Learning Academy (2007-2013) Age of Learning, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.abcmouse.com.