Abstract
This paper discusses the analysis of subject matter structure for purposes of designing instruction. The underlying assumption is that subject matter structures provide an important basis for deciding how to sequence and synthesize the “modules” of a subject matter area. Four types of fundamental structures are briefly described and illustrated: the learning hierarchy, the procedural hierarchy, the taxonomy, and the model. Then a theoretical framework is presented for classifying types of subject mater content — both “modules” and structures. Finally, some implications of these content classifications are discussed. The classification of “modules” is hypothesized to be valuable for prescribing strategies for the presentation of single “modules”, and the classification of structures is hypothesized to be valuable for prescribing strategies for selecting, sequencing, synthesizing, and summarizing related “modules”. The need to take into account more than one kind of structure in the process of instructional design is emphasized.
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Reigeluth, C.M., Merrill, M.D. & Bunderson, C.V. The structure of subject matter content and its instructional design implications. Instr Sci 7, 107–126 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00121929
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00121929