The Effects Of Item Difficulty And Reward On Allocation Of Study Time

As a component and measure of metacognitive control, allocation of study time has a direct contribution to the learning performance. There are two aspects of allocation of study time:item selection and self-paced study time. The internal mechanism that student how to allocate study time in metacognitive control is still controversial. There are four different models for explaining study time allocation: Discrepancy Reduction Model, Hierarchical Model of Self-regulation study, Region of Proximal Learning Model, Agenda-Based Regulation. The present study aimed at investigating the effects of difficulty and reward of item on study time allocation. The research for study time allocation will be benefit to enriching the theories of metacognition and self regulation study, as well as provide implication for education realm.Three experiments were conducted in present research, which adopted the experimental paradigm from Metcalfe.33 university students participated in experiment 1 which explored the effects of difficulty and reward of item on study time allocation when study time was sufficient. Another 30 university students participated in experiment 2 which explored the effects of difficulty and reward of item on study time allocation when study time was limited.31 forth-grade students and 24 sixth-grade students in primary school participated in experiment 3 which explored the effects of difficulty and reward of item on study time allocation when study time was limited in elementary school students. The three experiments manipulated the variables of item difficulty and reward, then measured the item selection and self-paced study time. The conclusions of present study were as follows: (1) When study time was sufficient, people tended to select easy item to learn, and regardless of item reward.(2) When study time was sufficient, people tended to allocate more study time to difficult item, and regardless of item reward.(3) When study time was limited, people tended to select easy-high reward item to learn first, and then select easy-low reward item and difficult-high reward item, finally select difficult-low reward item.(4) When study time was limited, people tended to allocate more study time to difficult-high reward item, and then were easy-high reward item. It was the least study time that allocated on low reward item.(5) When study time was limited, forth-grade and sixth-grade students in primary school, tended to select easy item, and sixth-grade students tended to allocate more study time to difficult item than easy item.