ERIC Number: EJ1136550
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0663
EISSN: N/A
The Effects of Explicit Teaching of Strategies, Second-Order Concepts, and Epistemological Underpinnings on Students' Ability to Reason Causally in History
Stoel, Gerhard L.; van Drie, Jannet P.; van Boxtel, Carla A. M.
Journal of Educational Psychology, v109 n3 p321-337 Apr 2017
This article reports an experimental study on the effects of explicit teaching on 11th grade students' ability to reason causally in history. Underpinned by the model of domain learning, explicit teaching is conceptualized as multidimensional, focusing on strategies and second-order concepts to generate and verbalize causal explanations and epistemological underpinnings connected to causal reasoning in history. In a randomized pretest--posttest design (N = 95), with a treatment and a control condition, effects of explicit teaching were investigated on students' (a) second-order and strategy knowledge, (b) their epistemological beliefs, and (c) their ability to construct a causal explanation, as well as (d) their topic knowledge, and (e) their individual interest. Results show that students in the experimental group scored significantly higher at the posttest on knowledge of causal-reasoning strategies and second-order concepts (sr[superscript 2] = 0.09), attributed a significantly higher value to criterialist epistemological beliefs (sr[superscript 2] = 0.04), and reported a higher individual interest (sr[superscript 2] = 0.02). We found no differences between conditions in the overall quality of students' written explanations. However, the experimental group scored significantly higher on 1 core criterion, that is, the "use of second-order language and causal connections" (sr[superscript 2] = 0.06). No differences were found on first-order knowledge. Furthermore, self-reports on learning gains and correlational analysis were applied to explore the interrelatedness of second-order and strategy knowledge, epistemological beliefs, student's ability to construct a causal explanation, topic knowledge, and individual interest.
Descriptors: Direct Instruction, Grade 11, Instructional Effectiveness, History Instruction, Logical Thinking, Epistemology, Student Interests, Pretests Posttests, Secondary School Students, Foreign Countries, Beliefs, Causal Models, Concept Formation
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 11; Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Netherlands
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A