Effect Analysis of a Multi-Material Approach to a Problem-Solving Learning System

Abstract

With the rapid development of multimedia, various types of materials used in the design of problemsolving activities have attracted a considerable amount of attention from researchers. The adaptive materialsemployed in learning activities could enhance learning performance, and motivate learners to seek the solution to a problem. Personalizing a learning environment to optimize individual learning has recently become a popular trend in e-learning. Therefore, this study was carried out to explore how the learning materials of a problem-solving activity influence learning performance;thus we created a multi-material-based learning system(MBLS) consisting of animated game-based material and static text material. The MBLS develops a series of problem-solving tasks to train the learner how to deal with risk. Each task was developed based on the problemsolving model, and the presentation of each task’s scenariowas classified as either static or dynamic. To achieve the goal of personalized learning, learners could choose the most suitable material for the problem-solving activity.Teachers were included in an expert validation test in this study to examine the performance and reliability of thelearning material in the MBLS. The experimental results show that, when the multi-materials are employed, the participants have a 95% probability of obtaining an above-average score using stratification, which suggests that the employed multi-material technique can be a good vehicle for providing adaptive learning that is related to problem solving.