Children's learning from implicit analogies during instruction: Evidence from fraction division

This study examined children's learning from implicit and explicit analogies during instruction. In all conditions, 6th grade children learned about fraction division from a videotaped lesson. In the implicit analogy, the teacher presented whole number division examples, thus activating relevant prior knowledge, and then introduced fraction division without drawing attention to the analogy. In the explicit analogy, the teacher introduced the same examples, drew children's attention to the analogy, and guided children's mapping across the analogical similarities. Children in the no analogy condition only viewed examples of fraction division. Children who viewed the implicit analogical instruction had greater conceptual understanding of fraction division at posttest than children in the explicit or no analogy conditions. Children in the explicit condition performed worse on procedural posttest items than children in the implicit or no analogy conditions. Activating children's prior knowledge of conceptually similar problems was more effective at supporting children's learning than explicitly guiding that analogy.