Understanding How the Physical Fidelity of the Learning Environment Shapes a Learner'sMental Model of the Task under Study

The purpose of this research is to identify differences in the proficiency of students who learned how to construct a circuit on a breadboard under three different levels of physical fidelity – a 2D simulation, a virtual environment and a physical environment. In a previous study, the researchers identified differences in proficiency, defined by construction time, diagram accuracy, and correct circuit construction among participants in the three conditions. However, while providing valuable data about the outcomes achieved by the participants, the results of the study offered little insight into the processes or mechanisms through which the physical fidelity impacted the results obtained. In this follow-up study, we seek to evaluate why students demonstrated significant differences in proficiency between conditions and how these differences related to the fidelity.