Analysis of Task Difficulty Sequences in a Simulation-Based POE Environment

Task difficulty (TD) reflects students’ subjective judgement on the complexity of a task. We examine the task difficulty sequence data of 236 undergraduate students in a simulation-based Predict-Observe-Explain environment. The findings suggest that if students perceive the TDs as easy or hard, it may lead to poorer learning outcomes, while the medium or moderate TDs may result in better learning outcomes. In terms of TD transitions, difficulty level hard followed by a hard may lead to poorer learning outcomes. By contrast, difficulty level medium followed by a medium may lead to better learning outcomes.