Use examples of another student's complete failed problem-solving process prior to instruction as an implementable alternative to productive failure¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 5 claims (2 for, 3 mixed) · 5 studies (2 causal, 2 theoretical, 1 quant-synthesis), q2–q4 · 3 of 5 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article suggests that having students observe a model's complete problem-solving-and-failing process before instruction is an interesting addition for educational practice: it is "easy to implement in online as well as classroom learning environments" and "may be less frustrating and less cognitively demanding than attempting (and failing) to solve a problem oneself without a loss of effectiveness". In the study, observing the process with video and audio of the model generating six failed solutions prepared students at least as well as generating their own attempts.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Examples must show the complete problem-solving process, including the model's intentions, reflections and conclusions, not only the final failed solutions
• The model should not display the correct canonical solution; the studied model's best attempt covered two of four canonical components

Constraints¶

• The advantage over own problem solving was significant mainly for students with at least 4.52 of 10 prior-knowledge points; prior knowledge did not affect outcomes in the PF condition

Target Learners¶

• secondary school mathematics students

Target Learning Goals¶

• preparing students to gain conceptual knowledge from subsequent instruction

Affordances¶

• Pf Preparatory Mechanisms Account

Claims¶

• Observing the complete problem-solving-and-failing process (VF-process) was more effective for conceptual knowledge acquisition than generating one's own failed solutions (PF) prior to instruction [+M]
• Prior knowledge moderated the VF-process advantage over PF: the benefit of observing the process grew with prior knowledge, while prior knowledge did not affect post-test performance in the PF condition [~M]
• Students who generated their own solutions or observed the full process did not significantly outperform students who only viewed the outcomes of failed solution attempts on conceptual knowledge [~W]
• PF students reported more awareness of knowledge gaps than example observers, but awareness of knowledge gaps did not correlate with conceptual knowledge acquisition [~W]
• Productive Failure Improves Conceptual Learning [+M]

Related Strategies¶

• Productive Failure
• Invented Strategies Before Instruction

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Christian Hartmann, Tamara van Gog, Nikol Rummel. (2021). Preparatory effects of problem solving versus studying examples prior to instruction. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-020-09528-z