Are they thinking? Are they learning?: a study of the use of interactive video

Abstract This article reports the findings of a detailed case study of an interactive video disc in use by groups of 12–13 yr old pupils. The disc was designed to improve pupils' conceptual understanding of the mathematical concept of probability through various problem solving activities. The aim of the study was to discover the nature and proportion of the different learning activities exhibited by the groups of pupils and to ascertain whether or not their problem solving skills improved through repeated use of the disc. The authors identify four issues for discussion which centre on the relationship between features of multimedia design and learning effectiveness. First, they explore the difficulty of matching the interactive task presented to the preferred learning styles of the user. Second they question whether the sophistication of multimedia environments may not militate against conceptual development. Third, they speculate that deductive reasoning may be hampered by the combination of group dynamics and the “bias for action” inherent in working with IV. Fourth, they consider the role of the teacher in relation to the suboptimal pupil learning observed.