Swedish students’ problem-solving perceptions and its implications for teacher training and development

Abstract

Students’ ability to solve problems that require higher order thinking skills is not just necessary but also a sufficient condition in our quest for training students who have the skills and competencies to compete effectively both at the national and international levels. Achieving SDG4 is underpinned by examining how UNESCO’s sustainable competencies with emphasis on systems thinking, anticipatory, normative, strategic, critical thinking, self-awareness, and integrated problem-solving competencies are integrated or understood within the classroom context. Despite the integration of problem-solving into the Swedish school curriculum, students’ performance in this area has not been as expected. This study, therefore, examines the problem-solving attitudes of Swedish students and its implications for teacher training and development. Using a survey design and the Problem-Solving Attitude Inventory (PSAI) data was collected from 432 (primary, lower and upper secondary) students. Descriptive and inferential (ANOVA) statistics analyses were conducted to examine the problem-solving attitudes among the different grade levels. The results show that two of the constructs (problem-solving tendency, personal control) were statistically significant., F(2, 429)=5.007, p=0.007 and F(2,429)=3.071, p=0.047 respectively. The constructs (problem-solving confidence and avoidance style) did not show any statistically significant difference, F(2, 429) = 1.609, p =0.201 and F(2, 429) = 0.484, p = 0.616 respectively between school levels. The results show that primary school students ascribed more positively to the items in the four constructs as compared to their lower and upper secondary peers. Personal control was the main contributing construct and had a direct influence on the other constructs. The ANOVA also showed a significant difference between gender and problem-solving attitudes with males ascribing more positively to all the four constructs except personal control. The results provide critical implications for teacher training and development. The conceptual framework shows that there is a need for teacher training programmes to equip teachers on how to change or influence students' self-control characteristics. We suggest the use of contextual and challenging activities to help enhance students’ personal.-control construct.