Keisha Varma | University of Minnesota (original) (raw)

Papers by Keisha Varma

Computer-supported collaborative learning, Oct 2, 2023

Frontiers in Psychology

This study investigated the relative efficacy of interleaved versus blocked instruction and the r... more This study investigated the relative efficacy of interleaved versus blocked instruction and the role of executive function in governing learning from these instructional sequences. Eighth grade students learned about three rock concepts (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic) and their attributes (origin, texture, composition). Consistent with prior studies and as predicted by current theoretical accounts, students who received interleaved instruction showed better memory (i.e., accuracy on true–false questions) when tested 2 weeks later, whereas those who received blocked instruction showed better memory when tested on the same day as instruction. Also consistent with prior studies and theoretical accounts, the blocked group showed greater transfer when tested after a retention interval, although this advantage was not significant. Critically, and as predicted, the shifting and inhibition executive function abilities were more predictive of learning from interleaved vs. blocked instruc...

Applying a Cognitive Theory of Learning to Teachers’ Knowledge Development Keisha Varma (keishava... more Applying a Cognitive Theory of Learning to Teachers’ Knowledge Development Keisha Varma (keishavarma@berkeley.edu) Freda Husic (husic@berkeley.edu) Marcia Linn (mclinn@berkeley.edu School of Education, University of California - Berkeley 4649 Tolman Hall Berkeley, CA 94720 USA year two more teachers used the on-line assessment tools to measure student learning. Figure 2 (b) shows that they are engage in interactive, formative assessment that allows them to change their teaching practice to meet the learning needs of their students. Keywords: Education; instruction & teaching; knowledge representation. Introduction This poster presents evidence of teacher learning following participation in targeted professional development, an approach designed to support teachers as they use technology enhanced science modules in their inquiry instruction. The modules were developed at the center for Technology Enhanced Learning in Science (TELS). Teachers receive support during iterative cycles of...

Computer Science Education

International Handbook of the Learning Sciences, 2018

Cognitive Science, 2018

Prior research has shown that executive function (EF) ability predicts science achievement. Here,... more Prior research has shown that executive function (EF) ability predicts science achievement. Here, we ask whether EF also predicts science learning. We focus on the shifting EF, and predict that students with high (vs. low) shifting ability will be able to better learn new science concepts from interleaved (vs. blocked) instruction than students with low shifting ability. We are evaluating this hypothesis in a study where eighth graders learn about different attributes (origin, texture, composition) of different rock types (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic) in instruction that is either blocked by or interleaved across rock types. We are measuring shifting using the WCST and local-global tasks. We are collecting post-test and longterm retention measures of learning and transfer. We predict better performance for high (vs. low) shifting individuals and for interleaved (vs. blocked) instruction, and an overadditive interaction because shifting ability is critical for noticing the disc...

Cognitive Science, 2017

A study, investigating the relationship between scientific reasoning and the capacity to discover... more A study, investigating the relationship between scientific reasoning and the capacity to discover the strategy to play an hypothetico-deductive game (MasterMind), posits that students being able to discover Complex Strategies (vs. General Strategy, Feedback Related, No Strategy) were also, on average, performing higher on our measure of scientific reasoning, itself composed of evaluative, experimental and scientific knowledge measures. In addition to bridge the discovery of complex strategies with higher SR ability, the finding also suggests the necessity to integrate rule discovery exercises in curriculum to 1practice while 2recognize valid reasoning procedures. Finally, inquiring about the middle schooler’s capacity to recognize the most effective strategy, will help to assess the class level as a whole. Such assessment will help the teacher identify some needs and target effective lessons to explain and facilitate the transfer of CoV strategies to novel situations, as suggested b...

Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 2018

This study investigated differences in how middle school children reason about disconfirming evid... more This study investigated differences in how middle school children reason about disconfirming evidence. Scientists evaluate hypotheses against evidence, rejecting those that are disconfirmed. Although this instant rationality propels empirical science, it works less for theoretical science, where it is often necessary to delay rationality – to tolerate disconfirming evidence in the short run. We used behavioral measures to identify two groups of middle-school children: strict reasoners who prefer instant rationality and quickly dismiss disconfirmed hypotheses, and permissive reasoners who prefer delayed rationality and retain disconfirmed hypotheses for further evaluation. We measured their scientific reasoning performance as well as their cognitive ability and motivational orientation. What distinguished the groups was not overall differences in these variables, but their predictive relation. For strict reasoners, better scientific reasoning was associated with faster processing, wh...

The Role of Technology in Education, Mar 11, 2020

Parent involvement is a critical facet of academic success. Empirical studies and meta analyses h... more Parent involvement is a critical facet of academic success. Empirical studies and meta analyses highlight that it can increase students' motivation, self-efficacy, and academic performance. Even though they recognize the importance of being involved, minority and immigrant parents are likely to have lower levels of parent involvement than white parents. This could be a contributing factor to the academic gaps that exist between white students and minority and immigrant students. Technology can provide new ways to increase parent involvement and can address equity issues by providing more innovative and flexible opportunities for parents to be involved in their students' academic experiences. This chapter summarizes ideas from (ESPRIT) Fostering Equitable Science through Parent Involvement and Technology, a National Science Foundation funded project that utilizes a technology-rich social learning environment (SLE) to engage middle school science teachers and student-parent pairs in culturally responsive, science-related activities. A new model of parent involvement is presented, followed by a discussion of the roles parents play as they participate in the SLE activities with their children.

Frontiers in Education, 2019

Spatial reasoning is an ability that people utilize on a daily basis, that has also been linked t... more Spatial reasoning is an ability that people utilize on a daily basis, that has also been linked to performance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. However, there are very few widely available opportunities to train spatial reasoning skills that have been proven to be effective tools. As a first step in the validation process, this study sought to establish whether performance on a measure of intrinsic and dynamic spatial reasoning ability was related to performance within Optica, a mobile puzzle game. To investigate this relationship, 168 middle school students participated in a within-subjects study over three days. The results of this study have been promising, as our analysis indicated that there was a significant relationship between the number of levels completed in Optica and score on the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test-Revised: Visualization of Rotations (Revised PSVT: R).

International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 2017

This article investigates the behaviors of middle school students during their participation in a... more This article investigates the behaviors of middle school students during their participation in an AR game called Play the Past. The findings of this study show that engagement differed during discrete activities in the game environment and that there was a relationship between the roles that students were assigned and their engagement.

British Journal of Educational Psychology, 2017

Background. The seductive allure of neuroscience explanations (SANE) is the finding that people o... more Background. The seductive allure of neuroscience explanations (SANE) is the finding that people overweight psychological arguments when framed in terms of neuroscience findings. Aim. This study extended this finding to arguments concerning the application of psychological findings to educational topics. Sample. Participants (n = 320) were recruited from the general public, specifically among English-speaking Amazon Mechanical Turk workers residing in the United States. Methods. We developed eight articles that orthogonally varied two processes (learning vs. development) with two disciplines (cognitive vs. affective psychology). We increased neuroscience framing across four levels: psychological finding alone, with an extraneous neuroscience finding (verbal), with an extraneous neuroscience finding (verbal) and graph, and with an extraneous neuroscience finding (verbal) and brain image. Participants were randomly assigned to one level of neuroscience framing and rated the credibility of each article's argument. Results. Seductive allure of neuroscience explanations effects were not ubiquitous. Extraneous verbal neuroscience framings, either alone or accompanied by graphs, did not influence the credibility of the application of psychological findings to educational topics. However, there was a SANE effect when educational articles were accompanied by both extraneous verbal neuroscience findings and brain images. This effect persisted even after controlling for individual differences in familiarity with education, attitude towards psychology, and knowledge of neuroscience. Conclusion. The results suggest that there is a SANE effect for articles about educational topics among the general public when they are accompanied by both extraneous verbal neuroscience findings and brain images.