Comparing Cases

Element · All elements
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 3 studies (2 causal, 1 quant-synthesis), q3–q4 · 1 of 3 report an effect size

Description

Comparing cases is the element in which learners inspect two or more examples, solutions, texts, or scenarios side by side in order to notice meaningful similarities, differences, and governing principles. It is useful when the goal is abstraction, discrimination, or transfer beyond a single instance.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

• Cases that differ in instructive ways
• Prompts that focus attention on the important contrasts
• A synthesis step that names the takeaway principle

Constraints

• Too many irrelevant differences can overwhelm learners
• Comparison without guidance may stay superficial

Target Learning Goals

• Build conceptual understanding, pattern detection, and transfer.

Affordances

• Metaphors & Analogies
• Worked Examples
• Error Analysis

Claims

• Comparing cases side by side improves learning and transfer by a moderate average amount, though in one algebra study it raised procedural knowledge and flexibility but not conceptual knowledge [+M]

Related Elements

• Non-Examples
• Erroneous Examples
• Demonstration

Patterns That Use This Element

• Guided Discovery Learning
• Mastery Learning

Examples

• Comparing two worked solutions to identify where one method is more efficient.
• Studying strong and weak examples of an argument to see the role of evidence quality.

Key Sources

• Rittle-Johnson, B., Star, J. R., & Durkin, K. (2009). The importance of prior knowledge when comparing examples. Educational Psychology Review, 21(4), 321-344. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016026

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	element
id	comparing-cases
title	Comparing Cases
description	Comparing cases is the element in which learners inspect two or more examples, solutions, texts, or scenarios side by side in order to notice meaningful similarities, differences, and governing principles.
status	review
canonical	True
generated	by codex/unspecified on 2026-04-08
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — rittle-johnson-2009

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