Chapter 6: Help-Seeking Intentions and Actual Help-Seeking Behavior in Interactive Learning Environments

The rapid growth of computers in education and their ease of access have created numerous opportunities for learners and for distance educators. However, learning in computer-based environments places the additional burden on learners of having to regulate their own learning (Greene, Moss, & Azevedo, 2011). As in traditional education contexts, learning autonomously is not a skill that many students master. Recognizing the difficulties of autonomous learning, the designers of interactive learning environments (ILEs) have provided various forms of help, including glossaries and worked-out exercises. However, as in traditional settings, research has revealed that this help is either rarely or inappropriately used in ILEs (e.g., Aleven, Stahl, Schworm, Fischer, & Wallace, 2003; Roll, Baker, Aleven, McLaren, & Koedinger, 2005). Research on the reasons for this failure to use available help properly if at all has examined two ways in which help seeking can be expressed: help-seeking intentions and help-seeking behavior.