RECALL OF DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION - THE ROLES OF PRESENTATION FORMAT,ANNOTATION STRATEGY, AND INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES

The benefits of using a comprehensive annotation strategy (employing u nderlining/circling, making connections, asking questions, and making comments) with knowledge maps (spatial/verbal arrays) and traditional, linear text to improve free recall scores for learners with individua l differences in vocabulary and comprehension ability were examined. T ypes and frequencies of annotations generated were also examined for e ach stimulus format condition. Multiple regression analyses indicate t hat the frequency of use of two component annotation strategies, askin g questions and making connections, were significant predictors of rec all scores, while frequency of underlining/circling and generating ela borations failed to predict recall scores. Text users generated more u nderlining/circling, while knowledge map users generated more connecti ons between ideas, suggesting that knowledge maps may facilitate the a pplication of more productive annotation strategies. Also examined wer e the interrelationships between vocabulary ability, comprehension abi lity, and free recall scores. (C) 1997 Academic Press.