Work

Comparing Pedagogical Approaches for Teaching the Control of Variables Strategy

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: In this study, an extension of Klahr and Nigam (2004), we tested 177 middle school students' on their acquisition of the control of variables strategy (CVS) using an interactive virtual ramp environment.We compared the effectiveness of three pedagogical approaches, namely, direct instruction with reification, direct instruction without reification, and discovery learning, all of which were authored using the ASSISTment system.MANCOVAs showed that all conditions performed equally on a CVS multiple-choice post test, but that the two direct learning conditions (with and without reification) significantly outperformed the discovery learning condition for constructing unconfounded experiments starting from an initially multiply confounded experimental setup.

Source: eScholarship (California Digital Library)

Authors: Joseph B. Beck, Janice D. Gobert, Neil T. Heffernan, Michael São Pedro

Institution: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Language: English

Topic: Science Education and Pedagogy

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Education

Awards: PIMSE: A GK-12 Partnership Implementing Mathematics and Science Education (PIMSE): Assisting Middle School Use of Tutoring Technology in the Classroom, ASSISTments Meets Inquiry