Gagné’s Theory of InstructionPsychological foundation theory / Instructional design

Prepared by:

Maz Azleena Binti AzahariS-QM0011/10

Biography• Robert Mills Gagné• Born in 1916 in North Andover, Massachusetts,

United States • Received his BA from Yale University in 1937 • Earned a doctoral degree in experimental

psychology from Brown University in 1940 • For 50 years, his professional career included

academic as well as research and development positions in military training and human performance.

Professional career• 1940 : Connecticut College for Women• 1958 – 1962: Princeton University• 1962 – 1966: Director of research at the American

Institutes for Research in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania• 1966 – 1969: University of California at Berkeley• 1969 – 1985: Florida State University

Research studies• During World War II, Gagné developed tests for

classification of air force crew members. Later, at Lackland and Lowry Air Force Laboratories he conducted numerous studies of human learning and performance between 1950 to 1958. As recently as 1990-91, he worked on instructional design models for military training at Armstrong Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX.

Contributions• Psychological Principles in System Development

(1962); • Learning and Individual Differences (1967); • Essentials of Learning for Instruction (1974); • Principles of Instructional Design (1974); • Conditions of Learning & Theory of Instruction

(1985); and • Instructional Technology Foundations (1987)

Main principles and concepts

Taxonomy of learning outcome

Internal & external learning outcome

Nine events of

instruction

Categories of learning

Verbal Information

Intellectual Skills

Discriminations

Concrete Concepts

Defined Concepts

Rules

Higher Order Rules

Cognitive Strategies

Attitudes

Motor Skills

knowing “that” or “what”.

applying knowledge.

employing effective ways of thinking and learning.

feelings and beliefs that govern choices of personal action.

executing precise, smooth and accurately timed movements.

Taxonomy of Learning OutcomeGagne, Briggs & Wager (1992)

Taxonomy of learning

outcome

Categories of learningConditions of Learning

• Internal conditions– Previously learned capabilities of the learner

• External conditions– Stimuli (a purely behaviorist term) that is

presented externally to the learner

Learning outcome

Categories of learningEvents of Instruction

1. Gaining attention2. Informing the learner of the objective3. Stimulating recall of prior learning4. Presenting the stimulus5. Providing learning guidance6. Eliciting performance7. Providing feedback8. Assessing performance9. Enhancing retention and transfer

Nine events of instruction

Purpose of the theory• In the theory, Gagné recommends the use of various

media by teachers in classroom instruction to ensures the information is encoded in a variety of different ways for effective retention.

• He believes different outcomes can be reached by various media. Models can explain difficult concepts visually and textbooks are used more frequently higher up the education chain.

Content of the Events of Instruction theory

• Gain attention– In order for any learning to take place, you must

first capture the attention of the student. – An even better way to capture students' attention

is to start each lesson with a thought-provoking question or interesting fact. Curiosity motivates students to learn.

– Internal mental process : A multimedia program that begins with an animated title screen sequence accompanied by sound effects or music startles the senses with auditory or visual stimuli.

Content of the Events of Instruction theory

• Inform learners of objectives – Early in each lesson students should encounter a

list of learning objectives.– These objectives should form the basis for

assessment and possible certification as well. Typically, learning objectives are presented in the form of "Upon completing this lesson you will be able to. . . .“

– Internal mental process : This initiates the internal process of expectancy and helps motivate the learner to complete the lesson.

Content of the Events of Instruction theory

• Stimulate recall of prior learning– Associating new information with prior knowledge

can facilitate the learning process. – A simple way to stimulate recall is to ask

questions about previous experiences, an understanding of previous concepts, or a body of content.

– Internal mental process : It is easier for learners to encode and store information in long-term memory when there are links to personal experience and knowledge.

Content of the Events of Instruction theory

• Present the content– This event of instruction is where the new content

is actually presented to the learner. Content should be chunked and organized meaningfully, and typically is explained and then demonstrated.

– Internal mental process : To appeal to different learning modalities, a variety of media should be used if possible, including text, graphics, audio narration, and video.

Content of the Events of Instruction theory

• Provide "learning guidance"– Guidance strategies include the use of examples,

non-examples, case studies, graphical representations, mnemonics, and analogies.

– Internal mental process : To help learners encode information for long-term storage, additional guidance should be provided along with the presentation of new content.

Content of the Events of Instruction theory

• Elicit performance (practice)– In this event of instruction, the learner is required

to practice the new skill or behaviour. – Internal mental process : Eliciting performance

provides an opportunity for learners to confirm their correct understanding, and the repetition further increases the likelihood of retention.

Content of the Events of Instruction theory

• Provide feedback– As learners practice new behaviour it is important

to provide specific and immediate feedback of their performance.

– Unlike questions in a post-test, exercises within tutorials should be used for comprehension and encoding purposes, not for formal scoring. Additional guidance and answers provided at this stage are called formative feedback.

– Internal mental process : Reinforcement and assessment of correct performance.

Content of the Events of Instruction theory

• Assess performance– Upon completing instructional modules, students

should be given the opportunity to take (or be required to take) a post-test or final assessment.

– This assessment should be completed without the ability to receive additional coaching, feedback, or hints. Mastery of material, or certification, is typically granted after achieving a certain score or percent correct. A commonly accepted level of mastery is 80% to 90% correct.

– Internal mental process : Retrieval and reinforcement of content as final evaluation.

Content of the Events of Instruction theory

• Enhance retention and transfer to the job– Determining whether or not the skills learned

from a training program are ever applied back on the job.

– Effective training programs have a "performance" focus, incorporating design and media that facilitate retention and transfer to the job.

– Internal mental process : Retrieval and generalization of learned skill to new situation.

Subject for applicationQuestion: Recognize an equilateral triangle.

i. Gain attention : Show variety of computer generated triangles.

Subject for applicationQuestion: Recognize an equilateral triangle.

ii. Inform learners of objectives : Identify objective – pose question: “What is an equilateral triangle?”

Subject for applicationQuestion: Recognize an equilateral triangle.

iii. Stimulate recall of prior learning : Review definition of triangle.

1

2

3Triangle = 3 sides

Subject for applicationQuestion: Recognize an equilateral triangle.

iv. Present the content: Give definition of equilateral triangle.

is a triangle in which all three sides are equal

Subject for applicationQuestion: Recognize an equilateral triangle.

v. Provide learning guidance : show example of how to create equilateral.

All three internal angles are congruent to each other and are each 60°

Subject for applicationQuestion: Recognize an equilateral triangle.

vi. Eliciting performance : Ask students to create five different examples.

Subject for applicationQuestion: Recognize an equilateral triangle.

vii. Providing feedback : Check all examples as correct / incorrect.

√√

√X

√

80%

Subject for applicationQuestion: Recognize an equilateral triangle.

viii.Assessing performance : Provide score and remediation.

√ = 4 X = 1

Subject for applicationQuestion: Recognize an equilateral triangle.

ix. Enhancing retention and transfer : show pictures of objects & ask students to identify equilateral.

a) b) c)

Conclusion• Various types of theories are incorporated to support

the Gagné’s theory. • It makes the theory easy for teachers to determine

the learning outcome and specify which learning conditions to present.

• Student should be given written and oral test frequently in order to gauge their understanding of the desired concept or skill.

Referencess• Campos, T. (2008). Gagné’s Contributions to the Study of

Instruction. Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Penn State York Commencement: http://www2.yk.psu.edu

• Driscoll, M. (1991). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. Allyn and Bacon.

• Kruse, K. (n.d.). Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction: An Introduction. Retrieved July 21, 2010, from E-learningguru.com Web site: http://www.e-learningguru.com

• Mobbs, R. (2008, July 17). Robert Gagne - University of Leicester. Retrieved July 25, 2010, from University of Leicester: http://www2.le.ac.uk/

• Saba, F. (2002, May 01). Distance_Educator.com: Serving professional since 1995! Retrieved July 21, 2010, from Distance_Educator.com's Daily News: http://www.distance-educator.com