Vocabulary Pairs Position Effect On Study Time Allocation And Its Relationship With Agenda

As one of the important indicators that reflect how learners adjust and control their study, the study time allocation is an important issue in the field of mcta-mcmory study. Due to the limitation and irreversibility of the study time, it is particularly important to allocate the study time and improve the learning efficiency. The decision on study time allocation will directly influence the individual’s learning efficiency and final performance. So the research on study time allocation has important theoretical significance and practical value.At present, the research on study time allocation focuses on two aspects:intrinsic mechanism and influencing factors of the study time allocation. This study aims to reveal the effect words position on study time allocation, that is, the words position effect of the study time allocation. It further explore the relationship between the words position effect of the study time allocation and ABR (Agenda-Based Regulation) so as to provide the theory basis for the intervention and guidance of the study time allocation. Using Metcalf s paradigm, three experiments were conducted in present research to examine the effect of words position on study time allocation on condition of different time limit and different learning objective. Multi-factor experimental design was employed in this study. The independent variables were item difficulty, learning objectives and words position, and the dependent variables were recall performance, fixation duration and fixation points.Conclusions were as follows:(1) On condition of no time limitation, words position effect on study time allocation was found. When words position was easy-medium-difficult, learners gave preference to easy items, followed by medium-difficulty items and finally for difficult items; when words position was medium-difficult-easy, the prior selecting sequence of the learners was medium items-difficult items-easy items; when words position was difficult-easy-medium, the prior selecting sequence came out difficult items-easy items-medium items.(2) On condition of a time limit, there is no words position effect on study time allocation. Learners gave preference to easy items in all three words position.(3) On condition of high learning targets, the words position effect on study time allocation was found. Learners tended to learn the items on the left firstly, then the items in the middle, finally the items on the right. However, on condition of low learning targets, there is no words position effect on study time allocation. Learners gave preference to easy items, followed by medium-difficulty items and finally for difficult items.It was found that both Discrepancy Reduction Model and Region of Proximal Learning Model have great limitations. Learners’study time allocation will be affected by words position as well as item difficulty and other factors, while the construction and executive of the agenda could eliminate the words position effect on study time allocation to a certain extent. Therefore, ABR is a more reasonable and perfect underlying mechanism model of study time allocation.