The control-of-variables strategy (CVS) is considered a hallmark in the development of scientific reasoning. It holds that informative experiments need to be contrastive and controlled. Prior evidence suggests that CVS is connected to the acquisition of science content knowledge. In a cross-sectional study involving 1,283 high school students (grades 5-13), we investigate whether students' mastery of CVS is related to their science content knowledge in physics. A latent variable model indicates that CVS is substantially associated with students' science content knowledge, even when controlling for common effects of general reasoning abilities. Substantial differences in students' CVS skills and their science content knowledge exist between the lower grade levels in secondary school when students receive physics education. A latent profile analysis shows that the most difficult aspect of CVS is understanding the impact of confounding. This sub-skill emerges in late secondary school and it requires that students master more procedural sub-skills of CVS. These findings indicate that CVS and science content knowledge are closely related within secondary school science contexts. In addition, the findings emphasize that students show various distinct patterns of CVS skills. The identified skill patterns can inform researchers and science educators about the CVS skills that students typically show and thus can be utilized in inquiry activities in different school grades, while the CVS skills students are lacking might be trained in focused interventions.

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Introducing new concepts to learners in an order of increasing complexity appears to be beneficial for learning, but typically introduction of concepts does not always adhere to this principle. We examined whether introducing new algebra concepts in a contrasted manner or in an order of increasing complexity instead of a different more typical order influences learning and retention. A total of 138 sixth graders were introduced to algebraic expression simplification. In algebra, addition of terms is usually introduced before multiplication of terms. However, the concept of addition appears to be structurally more complex than the concept of multiplication. Two experimental conditions in which algebraic multiplication was either introduced first, or both concepts simultaneously, caused substantially stronger learning gains and better retention compared with a third condition with the more typical order. Contrasted presentation of both concepts performed best, with strongest and most stable learning gains. Presenting multiplication first led to comparable gains on addition problems, but to lower achievement on multiplication problems in the longer delay. These findings suggest a rethinking of introduction orders in algebra and beyond.

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Objectives Individuals’ social connections and interpersonal experiences can both shape and be shaped by cognitive functioning. This study examines longitudinal within-person associations between quality of social relations, structure of social relations, and cognitive functioning in older age. Method We examined 16-year longitudinal data (3 waves) from 497 older adults (M = 66.07 years, SD = 0.83, range = 64-68 years) from the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development and Aging (ILSE). Quality of social relations was measured by scales on perceived emotional support, instrumental support, and social integration. Structure of social relations was measured by self-reported number of leisure time partner types, indicating social network diversity. Cognitive functioning was assessed as a latent construct consisting of five cognitive tests (i.e., Information, Similarities, Letter Fluency, Picture Completion, Block Design). We used a random intercept cross-lagged panel model in the analysis. Results At the within-person level, prior quality of social relations, but not structure of social relations, was positively associated with subsequent cognitive functioning. Moreover, prior cognitive functioning was positively associated with subsequent structure of social relations, but not with quality of social relations. Discussion Quality of social relations is a protective factor of cognitive aging. Additionally, responding to prior lower cognitive functioning, social network diversity reduced, but quality of social relations did not seem to change. Overall, this study suggested that social relations and cognitive functioning mutually influence each other, but different aspects of social relations (i.e., quality, structure) might have different directional associations with cognitive functioning.

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