Task perception as a mediating variable: A contribution to the validation of instructional knowledge

Background. From the perspective of the cognitive mediational paradigm, we focus in this study On students' conceptions of the relationship between in structional interventions and learning: 'instructional knowledge'. Aims. Task perception has been investigated as a procedural manifestation o f instructional knowledge. Four research questions directed the study: (1) how do students perceive a task: (?) by which structure can the relations b etween categories of task perception be represented: (3) do students differ in their task perception; and (4) is there a significant relationship betw een students' task perception and the learning activities they plan and/or execute. Sample. The sample consisted of 149 university freshmen in educational scie nces. Methods. Students were confronted with a concrete task in a natural setting . Correlations were searched for by phi coefficient. Hierarchical classes a nalysis was used to search for hierarchical relations and inter-individual differences. Goodman-Kruskal lambda was calculated to estimate the associat ion between students' task perception and the learning activities they plan ned and executed. The questionnaire and the design of the coding systems we re first tried out in a pilot study. Results. Students' task perception can be described in 11 categories. Corre lations between those categories were low, but a simple hierarchical struct ure was discovered. Students can be distinguished according to their task p erception into eight groups. Finally, the results indicate a statistically significant association between students' task perception and the learning activities they plan and execute. Conclusions. The study provides additional evidence to involve 'instruction al knowledge' and students' task perception as part of it, as mediating var iables in future research.