Oversimplifying Teaching of the Control of Variables Strategy

Two experiments compared closely related interventions to teach the control of variables strategy (CVS) to fourth-grade students. Over the two experiments, an intervention first developed by Chen and Klahr (1999) was most effective at helping students learn how to design and evaluate single-factor e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPsicología educativa (Madrid) Vol. 26; no. 1; pp. 7 - 16
Main Author Lorch, Jr., Robert F
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Madrid Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 01.01.2020
Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid
Subjects
Academic Achievement
Classrooms
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Cognitive load
Deafness
Direct Instruction
Diseño instructivo
Educación científica
Educación en ciencias elementales
Educational Environment
elementary science education
Experiments
Grade 4
Group Testing
instructional design
Intervention
Learning
Logical Thinking
Protocol
Research design
Rote Learning
Schools
Science education
Science Instruction
Scientific Literacy
Students
Teaching
Teaching Methods
Thinking Skills
Transfer learning
Variables
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Summary:Two experiments compared closely related interventions to teach the control of variables strategy (CVS) to fourth-grade students. Over the two experiments, an intervention first developed by Chen and Klahr (1999) was most effective at helping students learn how to design and evaluate single-factor experiments. In Experiment 1, attempts to reduce the cognitive load imposed by Chen and Klahr's basic teaching intervention actually produced poorer learning and transfer of CVS. In Experiment 2, attempts to simplify Chen and Klahr's algorithm for teaching students how to set up a valid experimental design also produced poorer learning and transfer of CVS. Both experiments illustrate that oversimplifying a domain or the logic behind controlling variables can undermine the effectiveness of an intervention designed to teach CVS.
ISSN:1135-755X
2174-0526
DOI:10.5093/PSED2019A13