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Does working memory moderate the effect of fading on math performance?
Dana Miller-Cotto1, Josh Medrano1
1University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
The British Journal of Educational Psychology
|May 7, 2025
Summary
Fading instructional strategies significantly improved geometry performance in 6th graders. Prior knowledge, not working memory, moderated the effectiveness of fading worked examples, offering insights for educational material design.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Instructional Design
Background:
- Cognitive load theory posits that novice learners have limited working memory, hindering learning with complex materials.
- Worked examples, particularly fading (gradually removing steps), are proposed to reduce cognitive load.
- The moderating role of working memory on these instructional strategies remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if working memory capacity influences student performance with faded worked examples.
- To compare the effectiveness of different instructional strategies, including fading and self-explanation prompts.
Main Methods:
- 114 6th-grade students were randomly assigned to four conditions: worked examples with self-explanation, fading with self-explanation, fading only, and problem-solving only.
- An online tutoring system, ASSISTments, delivered geometry problem assignments over three days (pretest, intervention, posttest).
Main Results:
- Significant differences in posttest performance were observed across conditions.
- The fading strategy showed the largest effect sizes for improvement from pretest to posttest.
- Prior knowledge, not working memory, was found to moderate the effectiveness of the fading strategy.
Conclusions:
- The study provides evidence for the effectiveness of fading worked examples in improving geometry performance.
- Findings suggest that instructional materials should be designed with consideration for learners' prior knowledge.
- Recommendations are discussed for designing educational materials that account for working memory limitations.
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