Cognitive Mechanisms of Guided Instruction in the Early Elementary Years

小学早期引导教学的认知机制

• 批准号: 2301180
• 负责人: Elizabeth Bonawitz
• 金额: $ 150万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2028-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2301180&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Cognitive; Mechanisms; Guided; Instruction; Early

The purpose of this study is to compare the results of two teaching styles: direct instruction and guided query, for early elementary students in science. Guided queries -- when teachers ask questions that engage the learner in prediction, explanation, and reflection -- have been shown to support knowledge building and motivation in brief lab settings. However, there is disagreement among scholars about how the learning outcomes of guided query teaching styles compare to those of direct instruction in more traditional education settings, and it is unknown how the learning processes involved unfold over longer times, and among children embedded in different communities. This project addresses these gaps in our understanding by conducting a longitudinal study with early elementary school students to investigate the short- and long-term effects of direct and guided query instruction about a foundational physical concept: properties of matter. The sample includes children embedded in families and communities with diverse backgrounds, which allows observations on the effects of the different teaching styles on children with different prior experiences. This project informs the decision-making process about which teaching styles are best suited for teaching science to early elementary school children across different communities and also is developing an inexpensive, easy-to-scale-up, and ready-to-deploy curriculum that could be implemented in schools or families. The curriculum will address young children's known misconceptions about matter earlier than typical curricula. Cognitive and motivational mechanisms may be differently impacted by diverse teaching styles. To shed light on the mechanisms underlying learning from direct and guided instruction, this project involves longitudinal assessment of children's knowledge about matter and its interactions, as well as of their motivation and attitudes toward science before and after receiving training. A sample of 300 early elementary school children, drawn from communities with diverse backgrounds, will be randomly assigned to three conditions: (i) Direct Instruction, (ii) Guided Query; and (iii) Baseline condition. Children in all three conditions will be assessed in five different data collection waves over a period of 3.5 years. In addition to assessing cognitive mechanisms through children's a) factual, b) causal-explanatory, and c) conceptual knowledge about matter and its interactions, the project also assesses motivational mechanisms through measures of children’s d) curiosity, e) perseverance on science related tasks, and f) attitudes toward self and learning. After Wave 1 of data collection, children in the Direct Instruction and Guided Query conditions will receive supplemental training that is delivered across six different teaching modules. Children in the Baseline condition will not receive any training (outside their typical school curricula). The difference between the Direct and Guided Query Instruction conditions is in terms of how the training content is delivered to children. In the Direct Instruction condition, the content will be delivered directly via providing facts and explanations, whereas in the Guided Query condition it will be delivered after guiding children with questions, asking them to execute thought experiments, generate predictions, and produce explanations. The results of this study will illuminate the mechanisms by which direct and guided query instruction shape the process of knowledge construction and children's attitudes toward self and learning.This project is supported by NSF's EDU Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这项研究的目的是比较两种教学风格的结果：直接教学和指导性查询，对于早期的科学学生。指导性疑问 - 当教师提出与学习者参与预测，解释和反思的问题时，已被证明可以在简短的实验室环境中支持知识建设和动机。但是，学者之间存在分歧，即指导查询教学风格的学习成果与更传统的教育环境中的直接教学方式相比，涉及的学习过程如何在更长的时间内以及嵌入不同社区的儿童中涉及的学习过程如何展开。该项目通过与早期小学生进行纵向研究来研究我们的理解差距，以调查有关基础物理概念的直接和指导查询指示的短期和长期影响：物质的特性。该样本包括嵌入不同背景的家庭和社区中的儿童，可以观察到不同教学风格对具有不同经验不同的儿童的影响。该项目为决策过程提供了有关哪种教学风格最适合向不同社区的早期小学儿童教授科学的过程，并且还正在开发廉价，易于估计的且易于研究的课程，可以在学校或家庭中实施。该课程将比典型的课程更早地解决幼儿对问题的已知误解。认知和动机机制可能会受到各种教学风格的不同影响。为了阐明从直接和指导指导中学习的基础机制，该项目涉及对儿童对物质及其互动的知识的纵向评估，以及他们的动机，并在接受培训之前和之后对科学进行介绍。从具有潜水员背景的社区吸引的300名早期小学生的样本将随机分配到三个条件：（i）直接指导，（ii）指导查询； （iii）基线条件。在3。5年的时间里，将在所有三个条件下的儿童​​在五个不同的数据收集浪中进行评估。除了通过儿童的a）事实，b）因果分析和c）有关物质及其相互作用的概念知识外，还通过衡量儿童的好奇心，e）对科学相关任务的坚持以及f）参加自我和学习。在收集数据的第一波之后，直接指导和指导性查询条件的儿童将接受六个不同教学模块的补充培训。处于基线状况的儿童将不会接受任何培训（在典型的学校课程之外）。直接查询说明条件之间的区别在于如何将培训内容交付给儿童。在直接指示条件下，内容将直接通过提供事实和解释来直接交付，而在指导的查询条件下，它将在引导孩子提出问题，要求他们执行思想实验，产生预测并产生解释后交付。这项研究的结果将阐明直接和指导查询指导塑造知识构建过程的机制，以及孩子们对自我和学习的进行。该项目得到了NSF的EDU核心研究（ECR）计划的支持。 ECR计划强调了基本的STEM教育研究，该研究在该领域产生了基础知识。投资是在重要，广泛和结束的关键领域进行的：STEM学习和STEM学习环境，扩大了STEM的参与以及STEM劳动力的发展。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响来通过评估来获得的支持。