Effects of the Teaching Strategy of Combining Graphic Models with Actual Measurement on Mechanics Rule Learning.

Abstract

This article examines the effects of the teaching strategy of combining graphic models with actual measurement on mechanics rule learning. Forty-four undergraduate students were taught mechanics rules. About half of them (N=23) measured values of forces and were shown graphic models, while the remaining participants (N=21) were not shown graphic models. Results indicated that the group with graphic models was superior to the group without graphic models in terms of far transfer. These results suggest that the teaching strategy of combining graphic models and actual measurement is effective for mechanics rule learning.