Fostering action competence through guided problem-solving and multiple learning contexts

The frequently reported problems in applying knowledge inspired the question of how action competence could be fostered. We investigated to what extent action competence in the area of economics can be fostered by two means of instruction that are recommended by recent models. In a 2 x 2 factorial design, the effects of multiple learning contexts (uniform vs. multiple) and guided problem-solving (no guidance vs. guidance) were analyzed. 60 vocational students worked on an economics computer simulation under different learning conditions. Different rests were employed to measure the learning gains. Depending on the specific aspect of action competence (system control, quality of mental models, factual knowledge), different learning conditions proved to be the most effective. Increasing the complexity by providing multiple learning contexts without simultaneous guidance proved to be ineffective in all cases. The results imply that providing complex learning environments, which has often been recommended in recent years, seems to be promising only if learners also receive guidance on coping with this complexity.