2016 Volume 58 Issue 1 Pages 17-28
This study explores the possible reasons for why interpretive explanations are elicited during the act of explaining within tutoring situations. Twenty university students were asked to read a text about measures of statistical dispersion and then to explain the material to a peer in a face-to-face session. During the explanation session, explainers were asked to signal to an observer whenever they felt that the listener was failing to understand, while listeners were similarly asked to signal whenever they could not understand the explanations. Analyses of the signals revealed that explainers who detected signs of insufficient comprehension on the part of the listeners tended to employ more interpretive explanations. Moreover, subsequent interviews with the participants about their signaling indicated that explainers realized when listeners were failing to understand not only from listener comments but also through their own reflections. The present results suggest that the realization by explainers that they have initially overestimated the level of the listener's comprehension can lead them to offer more interpretive explanations, which can, in turn, facilitate comprehension of materials.
