Improving the transfer of inquiry strategies by using short instructional videos

Five experiments compared the effectiveness of different instructional videos and a no-video control group for the learning and transfer of inquiry strategies. In each experiment, students first tried to discover the laws governing a balance scale simulation. Afterwards, most students watched one of several instructional videos. The most complete video taught the effective strategy of converting each weight into a base-weight equivalent (e.g., blue = 2 reds). It also described a common ineffective strategy of piling on weights until the scale balances. It told students the ineffective strategy is alluring, whereas the effective strategy is more cognitively demanding in the short run but better in the long run. The other video treatments titrated the relative effect of the different elements of the complete video instruction. Two weeks later, students engaged a simulation on balancing forces, which measured their transfer. No single experiment showed significance, but in all five of the experiments, the complete instructional model led to greater transfer of the effective strategy while reducing use of the ineffective strategy compared to the other video treatments and control. This work provides initial evidence that a simple video following exploration of a science simulation can support the learning and transfer of inquiry strategies. It also shows the importance of alerting students to inhibit the allure of their “native” strategies.