Education researcher Dr. Okafor claims that students learn mathematical concepts more durably when they construct arguments and explanations, rather than only practicing computation. Skeptics argue that students who explain may already understand the concepts well.
Which finding from a randomized study, if true, would most strongly support Dr. Okafor's claim against the skeptics?
- A
Students who already understand the material can explain it more clearly.
- B
Teachers report that students enjoy explanation-based lessons.
- C
Students who explain often score higher on standardized tests than students who do not explain.
- Dcheck_circle
Students randomly assigned to a class emphasizing explanation outperformed students assigned to a computation-focused class on a delayed transfer test, despite similar baseline achievement.
Explanation
A uses random assignment with similar baselines to rule out the skeptics' selection-bias concern, directly supporting causation. B is observational; C and D are tangential or favor the skeptic.