An empirical study on cultivating elementary students to filter promising ideas effectively through a filtering model in knowledge building

Promising ideas play a crucial role in the knowledge building (KB) process, yet strategies to support students in effectively filtering these ideas remain underdeveloped. This study presents a three-layer filtering model, incorporating experience, technology, and methodology strategies to enhance elementary students’ ability to filter promising ideas. Using a design-based research (DBR) approach, the study involved 43 fourth-grade students over 12 weeks. The findings indicate that (1) the proposed model provides effective instructional strategies for guiding students in filtering promising ideas, and (2) it significantly improves students’ filtering abilities, particularly regarding the depth and quantity of idea explanations. These results provide some implications for future studies both in theory and practice. Theoretically, this study enriches the understanding of how students filter promising ideas in KB, providing a structured model that can guide future research. Practically, it offers educators a practical reference for fostering students’ idea-filtering abilities, with potential applications in diverse educational contexts to improve KB instruction.