WWC Quick Review: Abstract Examples in Learning Math Study July 2008

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What is this study about?

This study examined whether college students are better able to apply knowledge of simple mathematical concepts when they are taught the concepts using abstract symbols or concrete examples.

Eighty Ohio State University undergraduates participated in the study.

Students were randomly assigned to one of four groups. One group was taught a set of mathematical concepts using abstract symbols; the three other groups were taught using either one, two, or three concrete examples.

Each group took a multiple choice test that examined their ability to apply what they had learned to a new example.

To examine the effectiveness of the different teaching strategies, the authors compared the test scores of each group.

What did the study authors report?

College students taught the mathematical concepts using abstract symbols were better able to apply this knowledge to a new example than college students taught using concrete examples.

Furthermore, those taught with concrete examples scored roughly the same as they would have if they had answered questions randomly.

WWC quick reviews are based on the evidence published in the report cited and rely on effect sizes and significance levels as reported by study authors. WWC does not confirm study authors’ findings or contact authors for additional information about the study. The WWC rating refers only to the results summarized above and not necessarily to all results presented in the study.