Abstract
The worked example effect within cognitive load theory is a very well-established finding. The concrete effectiveness of worked examples in a learning situation, however, heavily depends on further moderating factors. For example, if learners improve their processing of worked examples by actively explaining the worked examples to themselves, they are usually better able to solve transfer problems. Another way to enhance example processing is to present learners with instructional explanations instead of prompting them to produce these explanations on their own. In this article, we review 21 experimental studies to address the issue whether instructional explanations support example-based learning. Meta-analytic results lead to three important conclusions: First, the benefits of instructional explanations for example-based learning per se are minimal. Second, instructional explanations are more helpful for acquiring conceptual knowledge than for acquiring procedural knowledge. Third, instructional explanations are not necessarily more effective than other methods supporting example processing such as self-explaining.
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Notes
Some studies examined not only learning by studying worked examples but also by solving problems alone (e.g., Darabi et al. 2007a). The results for the experimental conditions with problem solving alone (i.e., without studying worked examples) were not included in the meta-analysis.
In some studies, we inferred that participants were generally introduced into the principles to be learned from the fact that at least the topic (e.g., algebra) was introduced to them.
Therefore, we excluded the study by Ward and Sweller (1990). The goal of this study (experiment 5) was to show that instructional explanations would have negative effects on example-based learning due to using a split-source format.
There was one exception: In the second experiment conducted by Gerjets et al. (2006), learners in the control conditions received a combination of instructional explanations and prompts to generate self-explanations.
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References marked with an asterisk indicate studies included in the meta-analysis.
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Wittwer, J., Renkl, A. How Effective are Instructional Explanations in Example-Based Learning? A Meta-Analytic Review. Educ Psychol Rev 22, 393–409 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-010-9136-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-010-9136-5