Experimenting on the impact of learning methods and information presentation channels on older adults’ e-health literacy

Citation

Xie, B. (2012), "Experimenting on the impact of learning methods and information presentation channels on older adults’ e-health literacy", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 26 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2012.08126aaa.005

Experimenting on the impact of learning methods and information presentation channels on older adults’ e-health literacy

Article Type: Abstracts From: Development and Learning in Organizations, Volume 26, Issue 1

Xie B.Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, September 2011, Vol. 62 No. 9, Start page: 1797, No of pages: 11

Purpose – To develop a theory-driven electronic health (e-health) literacy intervention for older adults for generating scientific knowledge about the potential impact of learning methods and information presentation channels.Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature of collaborative learning and multimedia learning is presented to provide the basis for the research model and hypotheses. Reports the results of experiments, based on a 2×2×2 mixed factorial design with learning method (collaborative, individualistic) and presentation channel (visual only, visual plus auditory) as the between-subjects variables and time of measurement within-subjects variable, and involving 124 older adults during the period, September 2010-February 2011.Findings – The results supported the hypotheses that e-health literacy efficacy, and e-health literacy skills both increase significantly from pre-intervention to post-intervention. Reveals that the results failed to support the hypotheses that: collaborative learning is significantly more effective than individualistic learning in improving learning outcomes; and presenting the instructions via the visual only channel is significantly more effective than presenting the instructions via both visual and auditory channels in improving learning outcomes.Research limitations/implications - The research was limited by: the use of a sample that was non-representative; over 50 percent of the participants were African Americans; the study did not include non-computer-mediated information presentation formats; and the study was conducted in a naturalistic setting familiar to older adults, namely a public library in their own communities.Originality/value – Presents a study as part of a larger research project of lifelong learning of technology (Electronic Health Information for Life-Long Learners (eHILLL)), and contributes to collaborative learning, multimedia learning, and e-health literacy.ISSN: 1532-2882Article type: Research paperReference: 40AR535

Keywords: Computer based learning, Computer-based training, Elderly people, Health and medicine, Individual behaviour, Information retrieval, Software tools, Teaching aids, Teaching methods, USA, User involvement, User satisfaction, User studies