Teacher students who generated their own examples after instruction achieved better retention and transfer than those given examples, with text-only performing worst¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Krause-Wichmann et al. (2025) found example-generation students reported higher learning control and better retention and transfer than given-examples students, while the text-only group performed worst; perceived control predicted retention and transfer for given-examples and text-only groups. → Katharina Loibl 2025

Evidence¶

Katharina Loibl 2025¶

Katharina Loibl, Valentina Nachtigall, Timo Leuders. (2025). Advances in research on composite instructional designs – investigating intermediate knowledge and preparation effects. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-025-09751-6

q2 · i? · review · r2

The editorial reports, citing Krause-Wichmann et al. (2025), a study of teacher students learning educational theory who generated examples, received examples, or only engaged with the written text. Generating examples yielded better retention and transfer; no effect size is printed.

"Students who generated examples reported higher learning control and achieved better retention and transfer than those given examples, while the text-only group performed worst."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Instruction-only students perceived learning control comparably high to example generators, while provided-example students perceived lower control — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Quality of self-generated examples correlated with knowledge transfer and perceived learning control but not with knowledge retention — related
• Instruction followed by either self-generated or provided illustrative examples outperformed instruction only on knowledge retention and transfer in student teachers — related
• Generating own examples after instruction produced better retention and transfer than studying provided examples — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Perceived learning control enhanced transfer via knowledge retention only for students in the non-generative conditions (provided examples, instruction only), not for example generators — a narrower finding that bears on this claim