Conceptual change through processing errors - partial solutions during problem solving and effects of subsequent adaptive instruction

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Katharina Loibl
• Subject Area: General and Domain-Specific Teaching and Learning
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 456976731

When acquiring mathematical or scientific knowledge, learners often have pre-concepts that cannot simply be replaced by the target concepts but require a conceptual change. To foster conceptual change, the process of comparing correct and incorrect examples plays a central role. So far, there is a lack of studies that allow to explain conceptual change on the level of error processing by comparisons. This lack is addressed by the proposed project. The aim of the project is to test empirically to what extent a fit between individual partial solutions and the incorrect solutions presented for comparison lead to a successful conceptual change.This project objective is investigated within a problem-based instructional design called PS-I (problem solving prior to instruction). PS-I is an instructional design in which learners first develop individual solution ideas to a problem and then receive instruction on the target concept. The solutions generated by learners in the problem-solving phase usually only represent partial steps on the way to the target concept. In the subsequent instruction phase, the target concept can be acquired by comparing correct and incorrect solutions. On a theoretical level, the learning processes stimulated in this instructional design can be interpreted as conceptual change, if individual incorrect solutions are included in the comparison of solutions in the instruction phase and thus the individual pre-concepts of the learners are addressed in the comparisons. However, the current state of research shows that the importance of the fit between individual (partial) solutions and the incorrect and correct solutions compared in the instruction (in the sense of an adaptive instruction) is not sufficiently understood.The main study tests the assumption that a fit between individual solutions from the problem-solving phase and the incorrect and correct solutions selected for the comparison in the subsequent instruction promotes conceptual change by experimental variation. For this purpose, the learners in the instructional phase receive either solutions for comparison that fit their individual solution type from the problem-solving phase (adaptive condition) or purposely do not fit (counter-adaptive condition). The general effect of comparing incorrect and correct solutions (independent of the fit) is tested by comparing both conditions with a control condition without wrong solutions. For the selection of adaptive or counter-adaptive solutions on-the-fly, a computer-based learning environment is further developed, empirically validated and used.The proposed project contributes to an empirical foundation of the role of adaptive error processing during conceptual change and at the same time provides evidence for a learning mechanism of the PS-I approach.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Timo Leuders