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Publication Date

5-2015

Date of Final Oral Examination (Defense)

3-4-2015

Type of Culminating Activity

Thesis - Boise State University Access Only

Degree Title

Master of Science in STEM Education

Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies

Supervisory Committee Chair

Keith W. Thiede, Ph.D.

Supervisory Committee Co-Chair

Michele Carney, Ph.D.

Supervisory Committee Member

Michele Carney, Ph.D.

Supervisory Committee Member

Gwyneth R. Hughes, Ph.D.

Abstract

The order in which material is presented and explored may affect a student’s connection to and transfer of knowledge. In this study, direct instruction and exploration order were manipulated to determine the impact on depth of connection and transfer of learning. Students (N=179) from a chemistry class were assigned to two groups that received direct instruction and an exploration of specific heat and variability of data with increased trials. One group received direct instruction followed by guided exploration (di-exploration) while the other group did guided exploration and then received direct instruction (exploration-di). The exploration-di group retained more knowledge about variability and transferred that knowledge marginally better to another context (far transfer) and in context-free problems (generalization).

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