Background: Computational thinking (CT) refers to the ability to represent problems, design solutions and migrate solutions computationally. While previous studies have shown that self-explanation can enhance students' learning, few empirical studies have examined the effects of using different self-explanation prompts to cultivate students' CT…

Background: Online learning is becoming increasingly popular among learners. To enhance the effectiveness of online learning, researchers have embedded an affective pedagogical agent (PA) on the computer screen to help regulate learners' emotions and support their learning. However, previous research has paid little attention to the effects of…

Background: How to improve learning with online multimedia lessons has attracted widespread concern. Prior studies have attempted to help students learn by breaking a video lesson into several segments. However, there has been a debate about whether learners can use pause time effectively and whether prompting them to engage in different types of…

Background: Guidance has showed positive effects on promoting inquiry-based learning in science education. While an increasing number of studies focus on the design of guidance in simulation-based inquiry learning due to recent technology developments, how different designs of a same type of guidance affect learning remains a question. Objectives:…

Despite the widespread assumption that students require scaffolding support for self-regulated learning (SRL) processes in computer-based learning environments (CBLEs), there is little clarity as to which types of scaffolds are most effective. This study offers a literature review covering the various scaffolds that support SRL processes in the…

This paper reports on a qualitative study of students' engagement with a Web-based inquiry environment aimed at prompting student reflection in processes of scientific inquiry. In order to demonstrate how prompts become structuring resources for students' scientific inquiry, detailed analyses of students' interaction processes are conducted. The…