Editing Self-Explanation Principle (section)

==Challenges and/or Alternative theories==
Taking a critical stance regarding the self-explanation principle, despite the fact that self-explanation is an effective strategy, there are boundary conditions that limit its generalizability‎<ref name="Mayer">Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2014). "Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning." Cambridge University Press.
</ref>. In simpler procedural domains where rules or patterns cannot be logically explained or deduced, self-explanation may not be as effective for building robust mental models of challenging conceptual domains. Self-explanation may encourage students to think deeply about the material and result in better learning than controls without self-explanation. However, before making broad statements regarding self-explanations generality and applicability, it is imperative to examine both the educational objectives as well as the form in which it is implemented.