Understanding Learner’s Mental Models of a Task as Shaped by the Physical Fidelity of a Learning Environment

The purpose of this research is to identify how different levels of physical fidelity – a 2D simulation, a 3D virtual environment and a physical environmentimpacted the proficiency of participants who learned to construct a circuit on a breadboard. In an initial study, the researchers identified differences in proficiency, defined by circuit construction time, diagram accuracy, and correct circuit construction among participants in the three conditions. The results of this initial study, while providing valuable data about the outcomes achieved by the participants, offered little insight into the processes or mechanisms through which the physical fidelity impacted the results. In this follow-up study, the researchers sought to understand why students demonstrated significant differences in proficiency between conditions and whether these differences were related to the physical fidelity of learning environment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand the experience of participants in the different learning environments. A purposeful sample of 20 participants was recruited for the study. Analysis involved coding the transcribed interviews, developing dimensions and properties for these codes and then generating themes related to the effects of the physical fidelity of the learning environment. The study identified differences in the level of support and procedural differences in the circuit construction process in the 2D and 3D environments that contributed to deviations in performance. Additionally, the study found differences in the affect of the students learning in the computer environments that impacted performance. The findings of this study provide valuable insights about how the physical fidelity impacted participant’s performance. These results can be used to better design and integrate computer mediated environments in technical education.