Publication: The content of physics self-explanations
Chi, M. T. H.,
& VanLehn, K. (1991). The content of physics self-explanations.
Journal of the Learning Sciences, 1(1), 69-106.
Several earlier studies have found that the amount learned while
studying worked-out examples is proportional to the number of
self-explanations generated while studying examples. A self-explanation is a comment about an example statement that contains
domain-relevant information over and above what was contained in the
example line itself. This article analyzes the specific content of
self-explanations generated by students while studying physics
examples. Results suggest that in generating self-explanations,
students both deduce from prior knowledge and generalize from example
statements, yielding new general knowledge that helps complete an
otherwise incomplete understanding of domain principles and concepts.
The relevance of this research for instruction and models of
explanation-based learning is also discussed.