| Process diagrams play an important role in developing the individual learner's meaningful understanding and interpretation of scientific knowledge. However, researchers suggest that learners may not appreciate the diagram's importance as a learning tool.; The primary purpose of this experiment was to contribute to the existing body of knowledge about how to enhance learning from process diagrams. In particular, this experiment explored the effect of an instructive caption when learning from a particular process diagram, identified in this experiment as a step schematic. The instructive caption emphasized the meaningful organization and integration of the to be learned information. The experiment compared the effects of learning on three instructional treatments: an instructive caption placed prior to a step schematic, a step schematic with no instructive caption, and an instructive caption placed after the step schematic. One hundred and twenty-eight college students, with little or no advanced formal knowledge of meteorology (weather systems), participated in the experiment.; The results of this experiment indicated that an instructive caption does not significantly affect the free recall of explanative information or the generation of problem solutions when learning from a step schematic. However, results of this experiment found a significant relationship between the recall of explanative idea units and problem solving performance. Further exploratory data analysis revealed a significant treatment-preference interaction for recall and problem solving criterion measures. Those learners preferring not to use diagrams performed better with an instructive caption placed prior to the step schematic than an instructive caption placed after the step schematic. The opposite pattern was true for those subjects preferring to use diagrams. Further research is required to determine the role of instructive captions when learning from process diagrams. In addition, learner preference for diagrams may contribute to the learner's cognitive processing of the information portrayed in process diagrams. |
