Learning the CVS with self-generated, vicarious, combined, or no errors during PS-I does not differentially affect CVS posttest performance when controlling for prior knowledge¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? The overall effect of condition on CVS posttest performance was not statistically significant in the three-condition ANCOVA or the four-condition ANCOVA controlling for pretest. → Hämmerle 2026 q3 i? A planned contrast comparing the combination group to the average of the remaining conditions was not statistically significant, with a negative estimated difference. → Hämmerle 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Hämmerle 2026¶

Hämmerle, L., Kuhlmann, S. L., Krause-Wichmann, T., & Möller, A. (2026). Learning the control-of-variables strategy through self-generated and vicarious errors: the mediating roles of affect, motivation, cognitive load, and error awareness. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-026-09822-2

q3 · i? · causal · r?

ANCOVA on CVS posttest (Rasch logit scores) with condition as fixed factor and CVS pretest as covariate, restricted to the self-generated, vicarious, and no-errors conditions of the randomized intervention (n = 255 total). The study reports "The overall effect of condition was not statistically significant, F(2, 176) = 0.94, p = .393."

"The overall effect of condition was not statistically significant, F(2, 176) = 0.94, p = .393. Pretest performance was a statistically significant predictor of posttest performance F(1, 176) = 223.66, p < .001."

Hämmerle 2026 (2)¶

Hämmerle, L., Kuhlmann, S. L., Krause-Wichmann, T., & Möller, A. (2026). Learning the control-of-variables strategy through self-generated and vicarious errors: the mediating roles of affect, motivation, cognitive load, and error awareness. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-026-09822-2

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Four-condition ANCOVA including the combination group found no significant overall effect (F(3, 231) = 1.48, p = .220); a planned contrast compared the combination group to the average of the remaining conditions. The study reports the contrast "was not statistically significant t(231) = -1.62, p = .108."

"This contrast was not statistically significant t(231) = -1.62, p = .108, 95% CI [-2.88, 0.29], b = -1.30. The estimated difference was negative, although this pattern did not reach statistical significance."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Affect, motivation, and cognitive load did not mediate the relationship between error condition and CVS learning — related
• Error conditions differed in negative affect but not positive affect after the PS-phase learning materials — related
• Vicarious failure with high solution diversity is as effective as engaging in Productive Failure oneself for conceptual knowledge acquisition — related
• Physical and virtual instructional materials are equally effective for teaching fourth- and fifth-graders to design unconfounded experiments when instructional method is controlled — related