Tailor practice format to students' motivational profiles, particularly baseline self-efficacy and format favorability¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article recommends moving beyond general instructional claims and considering individual motivational differences when choosing between tutor-based and paper-based practice. Its findings show "the relative benefits of these formats are not uniform, but vary systematically with learners' motivational profiles", especially for students with low initial self-efficacy. The strategy is to align instructional formats with learners' motivational needs rather than assuming one format benefits everyone.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Knowledge of students' baseline self-efficacy and their favorability toward each practice format, measurable with the article's questionnaire approach

Constraints¶

• Evidence comes from a single domain (linear algebra), one intelligent tutoring system, a five-day intervention, and an analytic sample of 54 of 97 students; generalization to other domains and ITS designs remains an open question

Target Learners¶

• 9th-grade mathematics students, particularly those with low baseline self-efficacy

Target Learning Goals¶

• Linear graph interpretation and construction skills

Claims¶

• Among low baseline self-efficacy students, favorability toward a format moderated its benefit: tutor favorability favored tutor gains, paper unfavorability favored paper gains [+W]
• ITS-based practice did not improve post-training self-efficacy relative to paper-based practice; baseline self-efficacy was the primary determinant [+W]
• The effect of practice condition on learning gains was moderated by a three-way interaction of condition, baseline self-efficacy, and favorability [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Choose individual texts and videos appropriate for specific students rather than deciding by representational format

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Xinfei Cen, Vincent Aleven, Kenneth R. Koedinger, Conrad Borchers, and Paulo F. Carvalho. (2026). Self-Efficacy and Favorability Shape Learning from Tutoring Systems and Paper Practice. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.17470