PF students did not outperform DI students when learning social science research methods in two quasi-experimental studies with 10th graders, failing to replicate the STEM-domain PF effect¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2020 · checked against its sources 2026-10-19 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Across two quasi-experimental studies (212 and 152 10th graders) comparing Productive Failure to direct instruction for social science research methods, PF students did not outperform DI students. → Valentina Nachtigall · Katja Serova · Nikol Rummel 2020

Evidence¶

Valentina Nachtigall · Katja Serova · Nikol Rummel 2020¶

Valentina Nachtigall · Katja Serova · Nikol Rummel. (2020). When failure fails to be productive: probing the effectiveness of productive failure for learning beyond STEM domains. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-020-09525-2

q2 · i? · causal · r2

The authors' two quasi-experimental studies with 212 and 152 10th graders, conducted in an out-of-school lab, contrasted a PF condition (problem solving before instruction) with a DI condition (instruction before problem solving). The article states that "PF students did not outperform DI students", i.e. the PF effect was not replicated in this non-STEM domain.

"in the present two studies, PF students did not outperform DI students on learning social science research methods. Thus, the findings did not replicate the PF effect on learning in a non-STEM domain."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

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• Of eight PF-similar studies of problem solving prior to instruction in non-STEM or domain-general settings, only Schwartz and Bransford (1998) found a positive learning effect — related
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