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Cited by 390

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 8 of the 8 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The effects of self-explaining when learning with text or diagrams

Open access
Ainsworth, S·2003·Cognitive Science

Abstract

Abstract Self‐explaining is an effective metacognitive strategy that can help learners develop deeper understanding of the material they study. This experiment explored if the format of material (i.e., text or diagrams) influences the self‐explanation effect. Twenty subjects were presented with information about the human circulatory system and prompted to self‐explain; 10 received this information in text and 10 in diagrams. Results showed that students given diagrams performed significantly better on post‐tests than students given text. Diagrams students also generated significantly more self‐explanations that text students. Furthermore, the benefits of self‐explaining were much greater in the diagrams condition. To discover why diagrams can promote the self‐explanation effect, results are interpreted with reference to the multiple differences in the semantic, cognitive and affective properties of the texts and diagrams studied.

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Metadata

Authors
Ainsworth, S.
Venue
Cognitive Science
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2003-08
Volume
27
Issue
4
Pages
669-681
ISSN
0364-0213 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2143963523
Cited by
390
References
8
FWCI
12.04
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
bronze

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: The effects of self-explaining when learning with text or diagrams. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1016/s0364-0213(03)00033-8
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Ainsworth, S. (2003). The effects of self-explaining when learning with text or diagrams. Cognitive Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0364-0213(03)00033-8

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Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.