Sketching during reading yielded the most accurate comprehension monitoring, with significantly less absolute error than photograph, no-image, and animation conditions¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2019 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 Condition significantly affected absolute error in comprehension monitoring, with the sketching condition showing the least error. → Wiley 2019

Evidence¶

Wiley 2019¶

Wiley, J. (2019). Picture this! Effects of photographs, diagrams, animations, and sketching on learning and beliefs about learning from a geoscience text. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 33, 9-19. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3495

q3 · i3 · causal · r2

Same 120-participant experiment; absolute error was the absolute difference between prediction and outcome composites. The ANOVA showed "a significant effect of condition on absolute error" with η² = .17, F(5, 114) = 4.67, p < . 01.

"there was a significant effect of condition on absolute error, F(5, 114) = 4.67, p < . 01, partial eta squared = .17. As shown in Figure 1, the least absolute error was seen in the sketching condition."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Metacognition — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Self Assessment Accuracy Is Low Without Training — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Readers in all conditions except sketching were overconfident, with the most overconfidence in the photograph condition and the least in the sketching condition — related
• Sketching and viewing animations produced the best understanding of a geoscience text, while the photograph condition produced the worst — related
• Spatial thinking and generative activity reduced monitoring error while higher interest increased it — related
• Drawing after learning, both from scratch and with spatial scaffolds, improves absolute monitoring accuracy (calibration) compared with a time-matched mental reactivation control condition — related
• Pre-structured diagrams improved metacomprehension accuracy while self-assessment cues showed no differences — related
• Learners are substantially overconfident when evaluating the quality of their self-generated examples — related
• Instructional condition did not significantly affect readers' predictive judgments of understanding — related
• Learning by drawing outperforms text-based strategies but is often less effective than studying pre-made drawings, with guidance and drawing training as key determinants — related