A comparison of the effects of procedural and metacognition instruction on the transfer of computer software skills.

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of instructional strategies on software application transfer. An introductory computer course was used to determine the impact of metacognitive strategies on transfer of software application skills. Students were given a pretest, post-test and transfer exams. Measures on word-processing, database, and mail merge exercises were collected for the three exams. Students were given a pretest at the beginning of the course. Students were then trained to use the software package ClarisWorks RTM which is a Macintosh application. Students were given a final exam using ClarisWorksRTM. Students were given a transfer exam in MicrosoftRTM Office. Students who were taught metacognitive strategies scored higher on transfer exercises than students with procedural training. Thus, metacognitive strategy training may be an appropriate instructional strategy for software training.