Physical and virtual instructional materials are equally effective for teaching fourth- and fifth-graders to design unconfounded experiments when instructional method is controlled¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2003 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Children taught CVS with virtual materials designed unconfounded experiments at the same rate as children taught with physical materials, with both improving from pretest to posttest. → Triona 2003 q3 i? Children trained with virtual materials transferred CVS to physical ramp materials as well as children trained with physical materials throughout. → Triona 2003 (2)

Evidence¶

Triona 2003¶

Triona, L. M., & Klahr, D. (2003). Point and Click or Grab and Heft: Comparing the Influence of Physical and Virtual Instructional Materials on Elementary School Students' Ability to Design Experiments. Cognition and Instruction, 21(2), 149–173. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532690xci2102_02

q3 · i? · causal · r2

A 2 (condition: physical vs. virtual) × 3 (phase) MANOVA with phase within-participant on 92 children's experiment designs found "no main effect of condition, F(1, 90) = .01, ns". Proportions of unconfounded experiments rose from pretest M = .20 (SD = .26) to posttest M = .65 (SD = .41).

"showed a main effect for phase, F(2, 89) = 65.93, p < .001, with no main effect of condition, F(1, 90) = .01, ns, and no interaction between phase and condition, F(2, 89) = 0.73, ns."

Triona 2003 (2)¶

Triona, L. M., & Klahr, D. (2003). Point and Click or Grab and Heft: Comparing the Influence of Physical and Virtual Instructional Materials on Elementary School Students' Ability to Design Experiments. Cognition and Instruction, 21(2), 149–173. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532690xci2102_02

q3 · i? · causal · r2

In the transfer phase one week after training, all children worked with physical ramps. The article reports that virtual-trained children "designed as many unconfounded experiments with the physical materials during the transfer phase" as physical-trained children, despite the extra medium change.

"Moreover, children trained with virtual materials designed as many unconfounded experiments with the physical materials during the transfer phase as children who used physical materials for all phases."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Children's confidence in experimental conclusions increased after training and was higher for unconfounded than confounded experiments, with no training-condition differences — related
• Both physical and virtual training conditions produced equal gains in children's explicit verbal knowledge of the control of variables strategy — related
• In the underlying laboratory study, only expository instruction combined with probes produced CVS learning, with transfer limited by grade level — related
• Individual children in both training conditions were equally likely to become good experimenters or nonlearners after CVS training — related
• Instruction increased robust CVS use — designing unconfounded experiments plus providing a CVS rationale — in individual interviews — related
• CVS skill is the strongest predictor of performing valid (unconfounded) experiments in simulation-based inquiry — related
• Dynamic assessment can teach kindergartners the CVS within a single session — related
• Classroom expository CVS instruction dramatically increased fourth graders' CVS performance in individual hands-on interviews — related
• Children gained domain knowledge of variable effects indirectly from running experiments, with mixed condition differences on individual variables — related
• 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 — related