What Teaching Strategies Were Contrasted?
This study examined whether college students are better able to apply knowledge of simple mathematical concepts when they are taught the concepts using abstract symbols or concrete examples. Eighty Ohio State University undergraduates participated in the study. Students were randomly assigned to one of four groups. One group was taught a set of mathematical concepts using abstract symbols; the three other groups were taught using either one, two, or three concrete examples. Each group took a multiple choice test that examined their ability to apply what they had learned to a new example. To examine the effectiveness of the different teaching strategies, the authors compared the test scores of each group.
