Educational researchers Dr. Maria Santos and colleagues hypothesized that students who learn through hands-on, interactive methods develop stronger cr...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Educational researchers Dr. Maria Santos and colleagues hypothesized that students who learn through hands-on, interactive methods develop stronger critical thinking skills than those who learn through traditional lecture-based instruction. To test this, they randomly assigned middle school students to either participate in a week of science lessons using laboratory experiments and group problem-solving activities or attend traditional teacher-led lectures covering the same material. At the end of the week, all students completed an unexpected critical thinking assessment that required them to analyze a novel scientific scenario.
Which finding from the researchers' study, if true, would most strongly support their hypothesis?
Students in the interactive science lessons reported feeling significantly more engaged with the material than students in the traditional lectures.
Students who participated in hands-on activities scored significantly higher on the critical thinking assessment than students who attended lectures.
Students who scored lowest on the critical thinking assessment were more likely to prefer hands-on learning methods, regardless of which condition they were in.
Students in the traditional lecture condition were significantly more likely to remember specific facts from the lessons than students in the interactive condition.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Educational researchers Dr. Maria Santos and colleagues hypothesized that students who learn through hands-on, interactive methods develop stronger critical thinking skills than those who learn through traditional lecture-based instruction." |
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| "To test this, they randomly assigned middle school students to either participate in a week of science lessons using laboratory experiments and group problem-solving activities or attend traditional teacher-led lectures covering the same material." |
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| "At the end of the week, all students completed an unexpected critical thinking assessment that required them to analyze a novel scientific scenario." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Researchers designed an experiment to test whether hands-on learning methods produce stronger critical thinking skills compared to traditional lectures.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a clear experimental framework: researchers propose a hypothesis about learning effectiveness, design a controlled study with random assignment to test it, and establish a measurement method (critical thinking assessment) to evaluate their prediction.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The researchers hypothesized that hands-on, interactive methods develop stronger critical thinking skills than traditional lectures
- To support this hypothesis, we need evidence that directly compares the critical thinking abilities of students in both groups
- The strongest support would show that students who experienced the hands-on learning actually performed better on the critical thinking assessment than those who attended lectures
Students in the interactive science lessons reported feeling significantly more engaged with the material than students in the traditional lectures.
✗ Incorrect
- This addresses student engagement and feelings about the material
- The hypothesis is specifically about critical thinking skill development, not engagement levels
Students who participated in hands-on activities scored significantly higher on the critical thinking assessment than students who attended lectures.
✓ Correct
- This directly compares the two groups on the exact outcome the hypothesis predicts: critical thinking performance
- Shows the hands-on group scored higher on the critical thinking assessment than the lecture group
Students who scored lowest on the critical thinking assessment were more likely to prefer hands-on learning methods, regardless of which condition they were in.
✗ Incorrect
- This suggests students who scored poorly preferred hands-on methods regardless of which group they were in
- This actually works against the hypothesis by suggesting preference for hands-on learning is associated with lower performance
Students in the traditional lecture condition were significantly more likely to remember specific facts from the lessons than students in the interactive condition.
✗ Incorrect
- This shows the lecture group was better at remembering specific facts
- The hypothesis is about critical thinking skills, not factual recall or memorization