Comparing the efficacy of early arithmetic instruction based on a learning trajectory and teaching-to-a-target

Although basing instruction on a learning trajectory (LT) is often recommended, there is little evidence regarding a premise of a LT approach—that to be maximally meaningful, engaging, and effective, instruction is best presented 1 LT level beyond a child’s present level of thinking. We evaluated this hypothesis using an empirically validated LT for early arithmetic with 291 kindergartners from four schools in a Mountain West state. Students randomly assigned to the LT condition received one-on-one instruction 1 level above their present level of thinking. Students in the counterfactual condition received 1-on-1 target-level instruction that involved solving story problems three levels above their initial level of thinking (a skip or teach-to-target approach). At posttest, children in the LT condition exhibited significantly greater learning, including target knowledge, than children in the teach-to-target condition, particularly those with low entry knowledge of arithmetic. Child gender and dosage were not significant moderators of the effects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)<br>

尽管基于学习轨迹（Learning Trajectory, LT）开展教学常被学界推荐，但目前尚无充分证据支撑学习轨迹方法的核心前提：即若要让教学兼具最高意义性、吸引力与有效性，最佳实践是将教学内容设置在高于儿童当前思维水平1个学习轨迹层级的位置。
本研究采用经过实证验证的早期算术学习轨迹，对该假设展开检验。研究对象为美国西部山区某州四所学校的291名幼儿园儿童。
被随机分配至学习轨迹组的学生，将接受高于其当前思维水平1个层级的一对一教学；反事实干预组学生则接受一对一的目标层级教学，教学内容为难度高于其初始思维水平3个层级的故事应用题求解，即采用跳级或直接教授目标内容的教学模式。
在后测中，学习轨迹组学生的学习成果（包括目标知识掌握情况）显著优于直接教授目标内容组学生，这一差异在算术初始知识水平较低的群体中尤为显著。
儿童性别与教学剂量未对干预效果产生显著调节作用。
（PsycInfo数据库记录，©2021美国心理学会，保留所有权利）