How does conceptual structure of external representations contribute to learning? This investigation considered the influence of generative concept sorting and of external structure information moderated by perceived difficulty. In Study 1, undergraduate students completed a perceived difficulty survey and comprehension pretest, then a sorting…

The complex processes of collaborative knowledge construction require a multimodal approach to capture the interplay between learners, tools, and the environment. While existing studies have recognized the importance of considering multiple modalities, there remains a need for a comprehensive framework that explicitly models the dynamics of…