Techniques for Learning Scientific Knowledge from Texts

This study analyzes the efficacy of guiding the reading and learning of scientific knowledge through the technique of answering open-ended questions (AOQ) versus the use of techniques that the reader is responsible for understanding the text, including self-explanations (SE). Ninety-one students in the third year of obligatory secondary education were initially assessed on prior knowledge and then randomly assigned to experimental conditions (SE, AOQ). The experimental phase was carried out in an electronic environment and with the available text. One day later, the students carried out a learning test with open-ended text-based questions and situation-model questions relating to the text. The results showed that the SE students were less efficient in relation to reading time (M = 914.63; SD = 245.25), t(61.077) = - 6.96, p < .001, and responding time, (M = 914.75; SD = 361.39), t(69.928) = -3.44, p = .001. Learning techniques interact with the development of processing strategies, F(1,75) = 28.841, p < .001; eta(2)(p) = .278. The SE focused the student's attention on the text and on superficial cognitive skills, such as paraphrases (M = 10.26; SD = 3.18), t(75) = -5.092, p < .001; however, AOQ significantly encouraged the use of elaborations (M = 6.71; SD = 1.72), t(62.447) = 4.31, p < .001. These findings have important theoretical and applied implications in the field of education, since they clarify theoretical questions referring to principles of teaching-learning of complex declarative knowledge (e.g., scientific knowledge) and, also, these findings suggest effective instructional practices. Guiding learning through AOQ favours efficiency and more complex comprehension processes.