Oversimplifying Teaching of the Control of Variables Strategy

• Autores: Robert F., Jr. Lorch, Elizabeth P. Lorch, Sarah Lorch Wheeler, Benjamin Dunham Freer
• Localización: Psicología educativa, ISSN 1135-755X, Vol. 26, Nº. 1, 2020, págs. 7-16
• Idioma: inglés
• Títulos paralelos:
  • La excesiva simplificación de la enseñanza de control de estrategia de variables
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen
  • español

    Mediante dos experimentos se compararon intervenciones estrechamente relacionadas con el objetivo de enseñar el control de estrategia de variables (CVS) a estudiantes de cuarto grado. Durante los dos experimentos, una intervención desarrollada primero por Chen y Klahr (1999) fue más eficaz para ayudar a los estudiantes a aprender a diseñar y evaluar experimentos de un solo factor. En el experimento 1, los intentos de reducir la carga cognitiva impuesta por la intervención básica de enseñanza de Chen y Klahr produjeron un aprendizaje y transferencia de CVS peores. En el experimento 2, los intentos de simplificar el algoritmo de Chen y Klahr para enseñar a los estudiantes cómo establecer un diseño experimental válido también produjeron un aprendizaje y transferencia de CVS peores. Ambos experimentos ilustran que simplificar excesivamente un dominio o la lógica que subyace en el control de variables puede socavar la eficacia de una intervención diseñada para enseñar CVS.

  • English

    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.

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