PS-I effects vary by grade level: negative for 2nd–5th graders and increasing with age¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r2 · q4

Subclaims¶

q4 i? The pooled effect size estimate was negative for younger students (2nd to 5th graders) and became more positive with increasing grade level, with marginally significant subgroup differences for all subcategories except undergraduates. → Tanmay Sinha and Manu Kapur 2021

Evidence¶

Tanmay Sinha and Manu Kapur 2021¶

Tanmay Sinha and Manu Kapur. (2021). When Problem Solving Followed by Instruction Works: Evidence for Productive Failure. Review of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543211019105

q4 · i? · quant-synthesis · r2

Subgroup analysis of the meta-analysis by learner grade level (2nd–5th graders, 6th–10th graders, undergraduates, others). The article reports that "The pooled effect size estimate for younger students (2nd to 5th graders) was negative", with estimates increasing across age ranges; Table 4 prints g = −0.09 for 2nd–5th graders and g = 1.03 for postgraduates/professionals.

"The pooled effect size estimate for younger students (2nd to 5th graders) was negative, and these estimates increased (or became more positive) with the age range."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Age and Developmental Stage — moderator: an instructional effect differs with it

Related Claims¶

• Minimal guidance is less effective for novices than explicit instruction — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it

• Productive Failure Improves Conceptual Learning — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it

• The proposed cognitive mechanisms explain both positive and negative effects of PS-I — a broader claim this one bears on