ABM students engage more frequently in embodied reasoning strategies—first-to-third-person perspective shifts, causal inference making, and gestures—than video students, who rely more on third-person perspectives and information retrieval¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (3 entries) · causal r1–r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? On declarative tasks, ABM students more often shifted from a first- to a third-person perspective while video students maintained a third-person perspective (exact p =.000). → Polly K. Lai 2026 q3 i? On explanatory tasks, all ABM students made causal inferences whereas only a few video students did (exact p =.000). → Polly K. Lai 2026 (2) q3 i? On transfer tasks, 85% of ABM students spontaneously used gestures for mental simulation versus 8% of video students (exact p =.000). → Polly K. Lai 2026 (3)

Evidence¶

Polly K. Lai 2026¶

Polly K. Lai. (2026). Enhancing learning of nanoscale phenomena: the role of agent-based models and embodied reasoning. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-025-09776-x

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Fisher's Exact Tests on post-test think-aloud protocols and movement video from all 27 students compared reasoning strategies by condition; perspective-shift differences on declarative tasks reached "exact p =.000, phi = 1.0" for both contrasts quoted.

"The ABM group had a notably higher percentage of students who shifted from a first- to a third-person perspective compared to the video group, χ 2(1, n = 27) = 29.588, exact p =.000, phi = 1.0, while more students in the video group maintained a third-person perspective throughout, χ2(1, n = 27) = 29.652, exact p =.000, phi = 1.0."

Polly K. Lai 2026 (2)¶

Polly K. Lai. (2026). Enhancing learning of nanoscale phenomena: the role of agent-based models and embodied reasoning. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-025-09776-x

q3 · i? · causal · r1

Fisher's Exact Test on post-test explanatory think-aloud data showed "all students in the ABM group made causal inferences during their explanations" while only a few video students did, phi = 1; video students instead relied on recalling prior information.

"Additionally, all students in the ABM group made causal inferences during their explanations, unlike the video group, where only a few students did so, χ 2(1, n = 27) = 29.647, exact p =.000, phi = 1."

Polly K. Lai 2026 (3)¶

Polly K. Lai. (2026). Enhancing learning of nanoscale phenomena: the role of agent-based models and embodied reasoning. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-025-09776-x

q3 · i? · causal · r1

Chi-square tests on reasoning strategies during post-test transfer tasks found a significant group difference in motor-supported thinking, χ2(2, n = 27) = 24.115, exact p =.000, phi =.896; "85% of students spontaneously used gestures" in the ABM group versus 8% in the video group.

"In the ABM group, 85% of students spontaneously used gestures to facilitate their mental simulations, while only 8% did so in the video group."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Inferencing — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• The agent-based model group outperforms the visualization video group on transfer problems applying size-dependent properties to novel contexts — related
• First-to-third-person perspective shifting, causal inference making, and gesture use correlate positively with explanatory and transfer scores, while information retrieval and handwriting correlate negatively — related
• Both agent-based model and visualization video conditions produce comparable gains in declarative nanoscience knowledge, with no Group × Time interaction — related
• Undergraduate students learning nanoscience with agent-based models show greater gains in explanatory knowledge than students learning with visualization videos — related