examplespecific

Example-specific is an adjective used to describe examples that are tailored to illustrate a particular concept, rule, or phenomenon. It contrasts with generic or decontextualized examples, which may apply broadly but offer limited alignment with specific learning goals. In pedagogy, example-specific materials select contexts, data, and constraints that closely match the target concept to help learners map abstract ideas to recognizable instances.

In education, example-specific materials aim to reduce cognitive load and increase transfer by aligning demonstration cases with learners’ prior knowledge and anticipated questions. In mathematics education, an example-specific problem uses numbers and contexts that reflect the concept being taught, such as a real-world dataset to demonstrate mean and median with small, manageable numbers. In programming, example-specific code samples isolate the function or technique, omitting irrelevant features to prevent confusion. In data visualization, example-specific tutorials present a dataset whose structure directly demonstrates the intended insight, minimizing extraneous complexity.

Applications outside teaching include technical writing, where example-specific guidance shows exact usage patterns for a target scenario, and software documentation, where scenario-focused examples clarify API calls and expected outcomes. When used well, example-specific content supports clear understanding and practical application; when overused or overly narrow, it can impede generalization and discourage exploration of alternate cases. Effective practice often combines example-specific demonstrations with progressively varied examples and explicit notes on how the concept extends beyond the exemplar.

See also: worked example, case-based reasoning, instructional design.