In a quasiexperiment, the interactive simulation produced a large pretest-to-posttest improvement (Cohen's d = 1.06) while the paper-based exercise produced a small-to-moderate one (d = 0.40)¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q2 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2016 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i3 Students learning Grand Canyon formation with WILSIM-GC improved from pretest to posttest with a large effect size (d = 1.06), whereas the paper-based control group's improvement was small to moderate (d = 0.40). → Luo 2016

Evidence¶

Luo 2016¶

Luo, W., Pelletier, J., Duffin, K., Ormand, C., Hung, W., Shernoff, D., Zhai, X., Iverson, E., Whalley, K., Gallaher, C., and Furness, W. (2016). Advantages of Computer Simulation in Enhancing Students' Learning About Landform Evolution: A Case Study Using the Grand Canyon. Journal of Geoscience Education 64, 60-73. https://doi.org/10.5408/15-080.1

q2 · i3 · causal · r2

Quasiexperimental nonrandomized control-group pretest-posttest study in GEOG 102 (treatment n = 20, control n = 23). The article reports Cohen's d of "1.06" for the simulation group versus "0.40" for the paper group, calling the former "a large effect" and the latter small to moderate.

"the effect size captured by Cohen's d for the treatment group was 1.06 ( >0.8), higher than it was for the control group, which was 0.40. This suggests that the WILSIM-GC intervention had high practical significance, with improvement above 1 SD, a large effect."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The control group improved significantly in completion speed from pretest to posttest while the treatment group showed no significant speed improvement — related
• On higher-level application questions, percentage-correct growth was 15.0% in the simulation group versus 2.6% in the paper group — related
• The instruction-by-time interaction favoring the simulation group was only marginally significant (one-tailed p = 0.085, g2 = 0.05), and the main effect of instruction was not significant — related
• Students generally favored the interactive simulation over the paper-based method in attitudinal survey responses — related
• The cross-section question showed the highest gain for both groups, with the simulation group's gain (60%) double the paper group's (30%) — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Computer simulations yield a slightly higher achievement effect than pen-and-paper modelling activities — a broader claim this one bears on