A cornerstone of adaptivity – A meta-analysis of the expertise reversal effect

Different learners thrive under different instructional conditions, thus requiring adaptivity. Such differential effects became known as aptitude-treatment interactions (ATIs). An example of an ATI is the expertise reversal effect. The expertise reversal effect is present when instructional assistance leads to increased learning gains in novices, but decreased learning gains in experts. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the strength of the expertise reversal effect as well as to identify potential moderators. A standardized literature search was conducted in the online databases PsycINFO and ERIC in December 2022 and November 2024. Of 1590 identified studies, 176 effect sizes from 60 experimental studies and a total of 5924 participants were finally included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis followed the PRISMA guidelines (Page et al., 2021). The data was analyzed using the metafor package in R, accounting for dependency among effect sizes. Low prior knowledge learners learn better from high-assistance instruction (d = 0.505). High prior knowledge learners learn better from low-assistance instruction (d = −0.428). These effects are moderated by the type of prior knowledge assessment, the educational status of the sample, and the domain of the learned content. Our results suggest that the expertise reversal effect is robust across a wide variety of contexts. However, for younger students and some fields of study (i.e., humanities and language learning), the evidence for effectiveness is less clear. Furthermore, the expertise reversal effect is not symmetrical: providing novices with assistance has a stronger effect than withholding assistance from experts. • The expertise reversal effect can be found in a variety of contexts. • High generalizability of the effect implies it can be used to guide instruction. • The effect is moderated by educational status and by content domain. • Giving assistance to novices appears more important than withholding it for experts.