Use elaborative interrogation (answering why a fact is true) as a low-resource strategy for science content that conflicts with student misconceptions¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Elaborative interrogation asks learners to answer aloud the question "Why is that fact true?" for each to-be-learned statement, drawing on class, reading, and everyday knowledge. The authors position it as an alternative to resource-intensive misconception remedies, writing that "elaborative interrogation is an effective learning adjunct that requires minimal resources from instructors." In both experiments students needed only brief instruction and practice with the prompt before studying cue-card facts.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Learners must attempt to answer each why question, using prior knowledge from classes, readings, and everyday experiences; guessing is acceptable when unsure

Constraints¶

• The article's evidence covers junior-high science facts studied individually with timed presentation; gains on general use of new knowledge outside memory tests were not yet evaluated

Target Learners¶

• grade 6 and 7 science students

Target Learning Goals¶

• acquisition and retention of science facts inconsistent with existing misconceptions

Related Strategies¶

• Elaborative Interrogation
• Self Explanation Prompts

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Woloshyn, Vera E.; Paivio, Allan; Pressley, Mike. (1992). Using Elaborative Interrogation To Help Students Overcome Their Inaccurate Science Beliefs. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED356949