Worked examples result in better performance than conventional problem solving with no guidance, per prior work cited in the thesis¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr?·q1
Currency · newest study 2016 · checked against its sources 2026-10-24 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · 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.
q1 i? The thesis reports, citing Sweller and Cooper (1985), that worked examples resulted in better performance than conventional problem solving which has no guidance. → Chen 2016
Evidence¶
Chen 2016¶
Chen, Ouhao. (2016). The Worked Example Effect, the Generation Effect, and Element Interactivity. PhD thesis, School of Education, UNSW. https://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/55865
q1 · i? · causal · r?
The thesis introduction reports this as background literature on the worked example effect, described as based on cognitive load theory, with worked examples providing full guidance containing the key steps needed to solve a problem.
"Sweller and Cooper (1985) indicated that worked examples could result in better performance than conventional problem solving which has no guidance."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Under many circumstances, studying worked examples produced superior learning compared to active problem solving, as suggested by previous research — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
- Studying worked examples is more effective and more efficient than problem solving for novice learners (the worked example effect) — a broader claim this one bears on
- Studying worked examples improves novices' algebra performance on problems with the same structure as the examples — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
- Worked examples reduce unnecessary search for novices. — related
- The worked example effect is explained by reduced element interactivity relative to problem solving, and reverses with expertise — related
- The worked example effect failed to replicate for geometry and kinematics problems, and was reinstated when worked examples were restructured to reduce split attention — related
- Split-attention worked examples lose their advantage over conventional practice, while integrated formats restore it — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
worked-examples-better-than-problem-solving-cited |
title |
Worked examples result in better performance than conventional problem solving with no guidance, per prior work cited in the thesis |
description |
Worked examples result in better performance than conventional problem solving with no guidance, per prior work cited in the thesis |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
newest_evidence |
2016 |
source_checked |
2026-10-24 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-24 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — chen-2016 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.