Effects Of Pupils' Learning From Multiple Varied Worked Examples On Word-Problem Solving Transfer

For researching the effect of learning from multiple worked examples on the pupils'word problem solving transfer. The study designed three kinds of surface feature varied worked examples(number and substance varied example, story varied example and expression varied example), three kinds of story varied worked examples(very familiar example, very similar example ,very unfamiliar example) and three kinds of structural feature varied worked examples(rule varied example, rule parallel combined example, rule embedding combined example). This study used an experimental design of learning transfer, that is, let pupils study an original worked example, then study another worked example or two different worked examples. The present study chose 360 2rd grade pupils and 240 3rd grade pupils. The 5 experiments explored: First, the effects of the two worked examples on the three kinds of surface feature varied on the 2rd grade pupils'word-problem solving transfer. Second, the effects of the two worked examples on the three kinds of story feature varied on the 2rd grade pupils'word-problem solving transfer. Third, the effects of the two worked examples on the three kinds of structural feature varied on the 2rd grade pupils'word-problem solving transfer. Forth, the effects of the two worked examples on the three kinds of structural feature varied on the 3rd grade pupils'word-problem solving transfer. Fivth, the effects of the three worked examples on the three kinds of structural feature varied on the 3rd grade pupils'word-problem solving transfer.All of the experiments had explored the effects on the variability of surface and structural feature of the two examples and three examples between the different learning level of maths of 2rd and 3rd grade pupils'on word-problem solving transfer.The results of this study were as follows: (1) The original example had the effects of near transfer on the 2rd grade pupils'word-problems solving, but had no effects on far transfer.The original example could enhance the 3rd grade pupils solve the problems varied with the example on surface feature and some problems varied on structural feature. (2)The variability of story of the two examples could have some impact on the 2rd grade pupils'word-problems solving far transfer problems, but the two stories must be very similar. The variability of number and substance, and expression of the two examples had no effects. (3)For the 2rd grade pupils ,the original example and the rule parallel combined example had the best effect on far transfer, the original example and the rule varied example had better, the original example the rule embedding combined example had the poorest. (4) For the 3rd grade pupils, the original example and the rule embedding combined example had the best effect, the original example and the rule parallel combined example had better, the original example and the rule varied example had the poorest, the two variability of structural feature of two examples had the better effects on far transfer on 3rd grade pupils than 2rd grade pupils. (5) For the 3rd grade pupils, the original example and the rule parallel combined example and the rule embedding combined example , the original example and the rule varied example and the rule embedding combined example had the best effects, but the kind of problem solved by the pupils who studied the two different kind of three examples were different. The original example and the rule varied example and the rule parallel combined example had the prorest effects. For the different kind of word problems,Adding examples would not always enhence the effects on far transfer. Adding the different kind of example could enhance different kind of far transfer problems. (6)The variability of structural feature of the two examples and three examples had the different effects on the different mathematical level of 2rd and 3rd grade pupils'word-problems solving far transfer. The higher mathematical level the pupils'had a better effects on the far transfer, the lower had a worse effect.