Worked examples reduce unnecessary search for novices.¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r? · q3 · n=multiple class-based studies

When novices study a fully or partially solved example before independent problem solving, they spend less effort on blind search and can devote more attention to understanding structure and procedure.

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Worked examples reduce inefficient search during early problem solving. → Sweller & Cooper 1985

q3 i? Reduced search leaves more cognitive capacity for schema acquisition in novices. → Sweller & Cooper 1985

Evidence¶

Primary evidence link: https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532690xci0201_3

Sweller & Cooper 1985¶

Sweller, J., & Cooper, G. A. (1985). The use of worked examples as a substitute for problem solving in learning algebra. Cognition and Instruction, 2(1), 59-89. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532690xci0201_3

q3 · peer-reviewed experiment · i? · the abstract prints no effect size; the full text may · n=multiple class-based studies · causal · r?

Across algebra-learning conditions, learners who studied worked examples performed better than learners who spent the same time solving conventional problems. The interpretation advanced by the authors is that examples reduce means-ends search, letting novices focus on recognizing the structure of valid solution moves.

Discussion¶

The claim is strongest for novices. Once learners already possess the underlying schema, the same example can become redundant rather than helpful.

Learner Variables¶

• Prior Knowledge — moderator: an instructional effect differs with it

Related Claims¶

• Cognitive Overload Degrades Learning — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it

• In one experiment with 256 undergraduates, computer-based lesson versions that included practice produced significantly higher posttest scores than versions without practice — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it

• Example-based sequences outperform problem-only practice for novices, and fading support is argued to aid transfer
• Worked-example guidance becomes less effective as learner expertise increases.
• Example–problem sequences reduce cognitive load and improve learning outcomes
• Studying worked examples improves novices' algebra performance on problems with the same structure as the examples — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Minimal guidance is less effective for novices than explicit instruction — a broader claim this one bears on
• Studying solved problems improves algebra achievement compared to solving practice problems alone, though the evidence base is rated minimal and one study found negative effects — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Successively fading out worked solution steps is effective for facilitating the transition from learning from worked examples to problem solving, compared to example-problem pairs — related
• 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
• Worked examples result in better performance than conventional problem solving with no guidance, per prior work cited in the thesis — related