Probing the Role of Writing Tasks in Furthering Self-directed, Self-Corrective Problem-Solving Skills among Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Problem-solving skills are of paramount importance in university education, and they are used as some of the salient parameters to gauge learning outcomes. In this vein, this quasi-experimental study seeks to assess and evaluate the relationship between the writing tasks that college students perform in class and their higher-order thinking skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving (PS) skills. The chief concern of this article is to find out to what extent problem-solving skills, including analysis, evaluation, explanation, and deduction, among university students can be expedited through writing tasks aimed at addressing and tackling problems and obstacles facing students on campus. 196 students from the College of Applied Studies at Al-Kharj (CASK) in Saudi Arabia are the subjects of this study. The subjects were split at random into two groups: control group (n=98) and intervention group (n = 98). The research method used was both quantitative and qualitative. Students in the two groups took a pre-test and a post-test. The researchers assessed the PS skills against the Facione and Facione (1994) scoring parameters. The findings show that there is a strong connection between writing tasks on topics of problems and obstacles and PS skills. The statistics showed a significant improvement in PS skills among the intervention group as opposed to the control group in analysis, evaluation, explanation and deduction. This study recommends that more research be conducted on the correlation between writing tasks aimed at addressing problems/dilemmas and other higher-order thinking skills.