類比在電腦教學的應用及其限制

Abstract

電腦科學由於探討的內容大多是高度抽象，且屬於嶄新的知識領域；人類為了描述抽象或新的事物，往往需要借助類比。有關類比在電腦教學的研究並不多見，且學者們提出的類比教學策略中一再強調類比限制的重要，但相關的實證研究則付諸闕如。本研究主要目的是在瞭解類比的使用對電腦概念學習的影響，並進一步探討類比教學策略中類比限制的強調與否對學習的影響。本研究採用實驗研究法，將樣本分為三組：使用類比教材（含類比限制）的類比組一、使用類比教材但刪去類比限制的類比組二、及未使用類比教材的無類比組。一方面比較三組學生在學習成就上的差異，另一方面以問卷的方式瞭解類比組一、二對類比使用的態度。研究結果顯示在學習成就方面，使用類比教材確實能提高學習學生的學習成效；但是類比限制的使用效果並不顯著，與強調類比限制學者所預期的不盡符合。

The purposes of this study are to understand the effectiveness of using analogies in teaching computer science concepts, and to assess the effects of indicating limitations of an analogy in written text. An experimental design was implemented in order fulfill these objectives. Two hundred fifty-five high school students served as the subjects for this study. Subjects were randomly assigned to analogical group Ⅰ (using analogical materials with limitations indicated), analogical groupⅡ (using an alogical materials without limitations indicated), or non-analogical group (using materials without any analogy). The results showed that the analogical materials were effective in helping students learning computer science concepts; however, the effects of indicating limitations of an analogy were inconclusive.