Content knowledge does not significantly predict the number of experiments conducted; general cognitive ability shows a quadratic association and self-concept a negative linear association¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associationalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Neither the linear nor quadratic component of content knowledge significantly predicted the number of experiments, contradicting hypothesis H2.1. → Gerdesmann 2026
q3 i? General cognitive ability showed a significant quadratic association with number of experiments (β = −1.10, p = .038), reversing about half an SD above the mean; self-concept showed a negative linear effect (β = −1.40, p = .011). → Gerdesmann 2026 (2)
Evidence¶
Gerdesmann 2026¶
Gerdesmann, D., Schwichow, M., & Koerber, S. (2026). Factors that explain simulation-based inquiry performance in physics learning. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-026-09806-2
q3 · i? · associational · r2
A second-order polynomial regression on the number of experiments performed, excluding two outlier participants with more than 60 experiments, tested hypothesis H2.1. "neither the linear component (β = 0.23, p =.760) nor the quadratic component (β = −0.79, p =.105) of content knowledge was significant".
"neither the linear component (β = 0.23, p =.760) nor the quadratic component (β = −0.79, p =.105) of content knowledge was significant"
Gerdesmann 2026 (2)¶
Gerdesmann, D., Schwichow, M., & Koerber, S. (2026). Factors that explain simulation-based inquiry performance in physics learning. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-026-09806-2
q3 · i? · associational · r2
In the same polynomial regression, "the quadratic component of general cognitive ability (β = −1.10, p =.038) was significant", reversing at about half a standard deviation above the mean; self-concept showed a negative linear effect (β = −1.40, p = .011).
"the quadratic component of general cognitive ability (β = −1.10, p =.038) was significant. Participants with lower general cognitive ability conducted fewer experiments, while those with higher ability initially conducted more."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Academic Self-Concept — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
- General Cognitive Ability — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Related Claims¶
- Cognitive factors explain about 49% of variance in simulation-based inquiry performance among young adults — related
- Dispositional factors add little to predicting inquiry performance except physics self-concept, and extraneous load has a significant negative effect — related
- Quadratic and cubic trends significantly improved the linear model of teacher and student behavior, showing the importance of studying nonlinearity — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
null-ck-number-of-experiments-gca-quadratic |
title |
Content knowledge does not significantly predict the number of experiments conducted; general cognitive ability shows a quadratic association and self-concept a negative linear association |
description |
Content knowledge does not significantly predict the number of experiments conducted; general cognitive ability shows a quadratic association and self-concept a negative linear association |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2026 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-18 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
2 — gerdesmann-2026, gerdesmann-2026-2 |
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