Digitized Speech as Feedback on Cognitive Aspects of Psychomotor Performance during Computer-Based Instruction.

Computer-based instruction opens new avenues for increasing the variety of possible feedback strategies that a teacher may employ to optimize learner performance. Feedback effectiveness is influenced by the nature of learning task and student ability. This study investigates the effects of digitized feedback and ability on the achievement of college students during computer-based instruction; the achievement of high and low-prior knowledge students was compared among different feedback treatments. A sample of 68 university students from four sections of beginning tennis classes at Chung Cheng University (Taiwan) were categorized as having high or low prior knowledge and randomly assigned to a computer to complete one of three treatments (audio only, voice with text, and voice with text and animation). The computer-based instructional unit was an interactive video lesson on cognitive areas of tennis skill performance. Results indicate that the anticipated interaction between ability and feedback was not confirmed, and that elaborate feedback was most beneficial for cognitive ares of psychomotor skill learning; no matter which ability levels or treatment conditions the subjects were categorized in, they rated the instructional program more positively. (Contains 14 references.) (AEF)