Box plots are frequently used, but are often misinterpreted by students. Especially the area of the box in box plots is often misinterpreted as representing number or proportion of observations, while it actually represents their density. In a first study, reaction time evidence was used to test whether heuristic reasoning underlies this…

This field experiment tested whether a special type of worked-out examples (i.e., heuristic examples) helps learners develop better conceptual knowledge about mathematical proving and proving skills than a control condition focussing on mathematical contents. Additionally, we analysed the benefits of self-explanation prompts and completion…

This article presents 3 studies that examine how students and experts employ mental rotation and a learned heuristic to solve chemistry tasks that involve spatial information. Results from Study 1 indicate that despite instruction in analytical strategies, students choose to employ mental rotation on canonical assessment tasks. In Study 2, experts…

A series of experiments involving more than 40 mechanical engineers and engineering students with different levels of expertise examined strategies, competence, and style of the designers in problem-solving behavior. A model is proposed that explains differences in designing as an interaction of domain-specific and heuristic competence. (SLD)

Multiple (external) representations can provide unique benefits when people are learning complex new ideas. Unfortunately, many studies have shown this promise is not always achieved. The DeFT (Design, Functions, Tasks) framework for learning with multiple representations integrates research on learning, the cognitive science of representation and…