Chapter 10: Cognitive Model of Drawing Construction: Learning Through the Construction of Drawings

Learner-generated drawing is a strategy in which learners construct representational drawings of target content. The generative theory of drawing construction (GTDC; Van Meter & Garner, 2005) is a theoretical model that describes the processes underlying drawing and is based on Mayer’s (2005) model of multimedia learning. The GTDC explains drawing according to the cognitive processes of selection, organization and forced integration. In this chapter, we propose an updated model of drawing construction. This model, the cognitive model of drawing construction (CMDC), incorporates both Winne and Hadwin’s (1998) self-regulation and Schnotz’s (2005) integrated text and picture comprehension models. We show how principles of the CMDC can be applied to interpret existing research and to generate predictions for future studies.