Editing Self-Explanation Principle (section)

==Overview ==
The self-explanation principle is one of the advanced principles of multimedia learning. To benefit from multimedia learning environments that combine multiple sources of information, students are needed to learn how to make connections between the sources of information, thereby mastering cognitively challenging concepts.‎<ref name="Mayer">Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2014). "Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning." Cambridge University Press.
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By generating inferences and mapping them to existing mental models, students engage in self-explanation to learn. When differences occur, self-explanation helps students adjust their mental models appropriately<ref name="Mayer">Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2014). "Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning." Cambridge University Press.
</ref>. Students identify gaps in their knowledge and fill them in. During this process, students gain a deeper understanding of the domain and acquire multiple strategies for solving subsequent problems. Learners use this principle to generate inferences and then map those inferences to their existing mental models. The self-explanation is one of the strategies encouraged by Ruth and Michelene‎<ref name="Mayer">Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2014). "Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning." Cambridge University Press.
</ref> is self-explanation. Students make inferences from the learning materials by explaining themselves, identifying misconceptions, and repairing mental models in self-explanation, a productive and generative learning activity. As with other cognitive skills, self-explanation facilitates deep and robust learning and improves over time.
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