Cognitive Analysis of Composite Instructional Designs: New Directions for Research on Problem-Solving Prior to Instruction

Abstract

In problem-solving prior to instruction (PS-I), an initial problem-solving phase is followed by an explicit instruction phase. Research on PS-I designs has produced conflicting results that cannot be explained by the learning mechanisms discussed so far in this line of research. The present paper applies a recently developed framework, aimed at – more generally – analyzing composite instructional designs (CID; i.e., designs that include multiple instructional phases) to PS-I research. The CID framework supports an understanding of PS-I effects by attending to the effects on intermediate knowledge (i.e., the knowledge state after the initial problem-solving phase) and discussing how this intermediate knowledge affects the learning processes that occur during subsequent explicit instruction. The analysis with CID also highlights that experimental variations of the instructional design (e.g., comparing PS-I with I-PS) often affect multiple learning processes and, thus, demonstrates the need for alternative research strategies when investigating the learning mechanisms of PS-I.