Narrative Pedagogical Agents to Enhance Reading Strategies in Geo-Histor Multimedia Learning Environment

Abstract

This study focuses on the design and implementation of three narrative pedagogical agents, which act as descending guidance assistants for adolescent student-users of the Geo-Histor multimedia learning environment. The goal of creating and using pedagogical agents was to empower students to use strategies before, during, and after reading. The pedagogical agents that emerged from the bibliographic inquiry and students' choices were anthropomorphic, cheerful and attractive animations, with real human voice, discussing with humor and representing real-life peer grouping. Agents provide declining guidance to students through dialogues implementing reading strategies included as statements on the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (Marsi 1.0). Each agent builds his character, and thus his speech, based on the fact that he represents another kind of knowledge, declarative, procedural and conditional. In the following study, comparisons were made between two groups of students who used or did not use narrative pedagogical agents for their studying. The findings show that when students use agents, they make significant progress in using reading strategies. Finally, a comparison between boys and girls showed that the reported use of strategies is greater among girls than boys.