Textbook-Bundled Metacognitive Tools for Improving Learning: A Study of LearnSmart’s Efficacy in General Chemistry Courses

• In Event: Science and Technology

Abstract

Textbook publishers frequently bundle study tools with textbooks, and increasingly these tools appear to aid in supporting students’ metacognitive thinking. McGraw Hill’s LearnSmart™ is one such tool. This study employed a quasi-experimental design to investigate whether and under what circumstances LearnSmart could be used to improve learning in General Chemistry. Participants were 98 college students. Three conditions were compared: a control condition (no LearnSmart used); a LearnSmart condition (LearnSmart used without additional scaffolding); and a LearnSmart-and-Guiding-Questions condition (LearnSmart used alongside guiding questions that scaffolded use of the tool’s metacognitive features). Findings showed that LearnSmart on its own did not increase learning, but the tool may have promise if students are scaffolded to use its metacognitive features.

Authors

• Vandana Thadani, Loyola Marymount University

• Nicole C. Bouvier-Brown, Loyola Marymount University