IMPACT OF EXPLANATION SEEKING ON STUDENT-ACHIEVEMENT LAND ATTITUDES

Explanation seeking in academic settings has been characterized in rec ent research as an achievement related strategy. The impact of explana tion seeking on achievement and attitudes was examined in three studie s (N = 65 Grade 7 and 8 students and 96 Grade 9 and 10 students) in wh ich the participants learned how to solve correlational reasoning prob lems in cooperative learning groups. In only one study (in which stude nts worked in pairs on a computer) was there any support for explanati on seeking as a productive strategy. The ineffectiveness of explanatio n seeking was attributed to students' inability to recognize when they needed help and to the quality of the explanations they were given.