Comparing Static Fading with Adaptive Fading to Independent Problem Solving: The Impact on the Achievement and Attitudes of High School Students Learning Electrical Circuit Analysis

This study compared conventional static fading, where the problem<br>solving responsibility of the learner increases at a fixed sequence,<br>with a novel adaptive fading design in which the learner assumes<br>more problem solving responsibility only if her or his previous solution<br>attempt is successful. This study was conducted in the engineering<br>knowledge domain of introductory electrical circuit analysis with<br>high school students. A 2 (static or adaptive fading) x 2 (lower<br>or higher academic ability) Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) yielded<br>a significant main effect on retention and transfer performance:<br>with adaptive fading the participants scored significantly higher<br>on retention and transfer than with static fading, while not requiring<br>more learning time or learning material.