Bridging Principles and Examples through Analogy and Explanation

Bridging Principles and Examples through Analogy and Explanation

Timothy J. Nokes and Kurt VanLehn

Summary Table

===Study 1=== (Laboratory Experiment)

PIs	Timothy Nokes and Kurt VanLehn
Study Start Date	May, 2007
Study End Date	June, 2007
LearnLab Site	University of Pittsburgh
Number of Students	60 (planned)
Total Participant Hours	180 (planned)
Data Shop	na

Explanation > Control; more likely to choose problems that match on deep features than surface features.

• • Problem solving with equations: Analogy+explanation = Explanation = Control; accuracy
  • Problem solving without equations: Analogy+explanation > Explanation > Control; accuracy
  • Problem posing: Analogy+explanation > Explanation > Control; accuracy and justifications

• Andes performance: Analogy+explanation > Explanation > Control; errors rates

Explanation

Prompting students to explain how each step of a worked example is related to the principles facilitates the generation of inferences connecting the physics principles and concepts to the procedures and equations in the problem. These inferences serve to highlight the importance of the concepts in problem solving and increase the likelihood of future activation when solving novel problems. Furthermore, they serve as the critical links integrating and coordinating the principle knowledge components with the problem features.

By comparing similarities and differences of worked examples students have an opportunity to identify the important features of the problems. After having identified the important features they can be related to the principle description through explanation.

Descendents

None

Annotated Bibliography

• Anderson, J. R., Greeno, J. G., Kline, P. J., & Neves, D. M. (1981). Acquisition of problem-solving skill. In J. R. Anderson (Ed.), Cognitive skills and their acquisition (pp. 191-230). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Chi, M. T. H., Bassok, M., Lewis, M. W., Reimann, P., & Glaser, R. (1989). Self-explanations: How students study and use examples in learning to solve problems. Cognitive Science, 13, 145-182.
• Chi, M. T. H., De Leeuw, N., Chiu, M. H., & LaVancher, C. (1994). Eliciting self-explanations improves understanding. Cognitive Science, 18, 439-477.
• Chi, M. T. H., Feltovich, P. J., & Glaser, R. (1981). Categorization and representation of physics problems by experts and novices. Cognitive Science, 5, 121-152.
• Dufresne, R. J., Gerace, W. J., Hardiman, P. T., & Mestre, J. P. (1992). Constraining novices to perform expertlike analyses: effects on schema acquisition. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2, 307-331.
• Fong, G. T., & Nisbett, R. E. (1991). Immediate and delayed transfer of training effects in statistical reasoning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 120, 34-45.
• Fong, G. T., Krantz, D. H., & Nisbett, R. E. (1986). The effects of statistical training on thinking about everyday problems. Cognitive Psychology, 18, 253-292.
• Gentner, D., Loewenstein, J., & Thompson, L. (2003). Learning and transfer: A general role for analogical encoding. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 393-408.
• Kurtz, K. J., Miao, C. H., & Gentner, D. (2001). Learning by analogical bootstrapping. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 10, 417-446.
• LeFerve, J., & Dixon, P. (1986). Do written instructions need examples? Cognition and Instruction, 3, 1-30.
• Mestre, J. P. (2002). Probing adults’ conceptual understanding and transfer of learning via problem posing. Applied Developmental Psychology, 23, 9-50.
• Reeves, L. M., & Weissberg, W. R. (1994). The role of content and abstract information in analogical transfer. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 381-400.
• Ross, B. H. (1984). Remindings and their effects in learning a cognitive skill. Cognitive Psychology, 16, 371-416.
• Sweller, Mawer, & Ward (1983). Development of expertise in mathematical problem solving. Journal of Experimental Psychological: General, 112, 639-661.
• VanLehn, K. (1998). Analogy events: How examples are used during problem solving. Cognitive Science, 22, 347-388.