From The Sample Learning Problem Solving Skills: Self-explanation Effect

This paper includes three sections. In the first section, I introduced some approaches about problem solving. They are from D.P.Ausubel's, R.Gagne's, and J.R.Anderson's studies. In the second section, Chi #'s original study was reviewed. The study explored the effect of self-explanation in example studying and problem solving. The last section is about an experiment using the middle school teaching material of chemistry. In this experiment, Good students and Poor students studied the worked-out examples when they learned from text. At the same time, they provided their spontaneously generated explanations. The self-explanations were acquired through the protocol provided when they reading the text, studying the examples and solving problems. I analyzed these self-explanations and their reference to these examples in the stage of problem solving. I analyzed the difference effect of self-explanation on understanding when reading the text and studying the worked-out examples between Good students and Poor students. In this experiment, I found Good students were significantly different from Poor students in text reading, examples studying and reference to the examples when solving problems. Not only learning declarative text, but also referring to the examples to solve the problems (acquiring procedural knowledge or cognitive skill), Good student learned with understanding. These Good students generated a great deal explanation spontaneously. In their explanation, Good students refined and expanded the conditions of the examples' solution. Thus Good students generated much more explanations. These explanations could connect the specific actions that instructed problem solving with the principles presented in the text. And their understanding accurately monitored these explanations. Such learning produced knowledge that was dependent on example, and developed better understanding to the principles in the text. Therefore Good students could solve the problems correctly. In contrast, Poor students did not generate rich explanations, and they did not monitor their learning process accurately. They relied heavily on the examples' solution when they solved problems. Poor students did not develop understanding to the principles in text, so they could not learn from text and example.