Instruktionale Effekte einer kombinierten Lernmethode: Zahlt sich die Kombination von Lösungsbeispielen und Problemlöseaufgaben aus?

Example-based learning environments have already proved to be effective in various domains. However, as examples represent convenient operational instructions, they invite a lot of learners to process the presented information only in a passive and superficial way, which results in negative consequences on the learning success. Problem-solving tasks do not have this undesirable "side effect". But learning by problem solving gives rise to other difficulties, especially a high burden on cognitive resources. This problem can be avoided by presenting worked-out examples. These considerations led to the hypothesis that a systematic combination of both learning methods makes effective learning possible. In order to test this hypothesis, instructional effects of a combined learning condition (n=15) and a "pure" example condition (n=15) were investigated experimentally in the domain of accountancy. The learners' (quantitative) activity of elaborating the learning materials, the quality of the elaboration generated, and the success in different transfer tasks were used as dependent measures. With respect to all these dependent measures, the experimental group was significantly better. As a consequence, it is recommended that problem-solving tasks should be integrated in example-based learning environments.