The present study was designed to investigate the effects of the expository method and the discovery method in rule learning. In the expository method, Ss were given rules and examples before a learning test. In the discovery method, Ss were neither given rules nor examples before the learning test.
In the experiment I and II, college students were assigned to four experimental conditions for solving cryptograms in English words. The Ss in group I were given rules and examples to be learned (Rule-Example condition), the Ss in group II, were given Examples and Rules (Example-Rule condition), the Ss in group III were given (Example condition) and Ss in group IV were not any rules or examples (Control group). Rule-Example condition is the expository method, Example-Rule condition and Example condition are the guided discovery method, and the Control group has the pure discovery method.
The experimental hypotheses in the present study were following; (1) expository method is superior to other methods in retention score,(2) the guided discovery method and the discovery method are superior to another method in transfer score.
In the Exp. I, 48 college students were assigned to these four learning conditions, and also in Exp. II, 24 college students were assigned.
In Exp. I, these hypotheses could not be tested, but in Exp. II, while retention of the ruless acquired usually was greater for the Rule-Example condition, there were not significant differences between four conditions in transfer.
In experiment III, 150 children in fourth grade in primary school were given the balance-beam problem. They were assigned to five experimental conditions; Rule-Example, Rule, Example-Rule, Example and control.
The results were summarized as follows; Expository method (Rule-Example and Rule condition) was the highest one in all and Guided discovery method (Example-Rule and Example condition) was next and Discovery method (control group) was the lowest in learning test score and retention score. Furthermore, expository and guided discovery method were superior to discovery method in transfer score.
In these experiments, expository and guided discovery method had the greatest effects on retention of rules in rule learning.
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