Problem-solving Situations Research Articles

An exploration of university physics students’ epistemological mindsets towards the understanding of physics equations

Students’ attitudes and beliefs about learning have been shown to affect learning outcomes. This study explores how university physics students think about what it means to understand physics equations. The data comes from semi-structured interviews with students from three Swedish universities. The analysis follows a data-based, inductive approach to characterise students’ descriptions of what it means to understand equations in terms of epistemological mindsets (perceived critical attributes of a learning, application, or problem-solving situation that are grounded in epistemology). The results are given in terms of different components of students’ epistemological mindsets. Relations between individuals and sets of components as well as differences across various stages of students’ academic career are then explored. Pedagogical implications of the findings are discussed and tentative suggestions for university physics teaching are made.

Scripted collaborative learning with the cognitive tutor algebra

With the aim to promote students’ mathematics learning, we extended the Cognitive Tutor Algebra (CTA), a computer-based tutoring system for high school mathematics, to a collaborative setting. Furthermore we developed a collaboration script to support students’ interactions. In an experimental classroom study, we compared three conditions: scripted collaborative learning, unscripted collaborative learning, and individual learning. After a 2-day learning phase, posttests assessed individual and collaborative reproduction of knowledge and skills, and future learning. First, with the collaboration script we aimed to improve students’ interaction. Second, we assumed that due to an improved interaction students would benefit more from the learning opportunities during collaboration and, in consequence, their learning would increase as compared with the other conditions. To investigate the first assumption, we compared the interaction of a scripted dyad and an unscripted dyad. The in-depth process analyses revealed a positive impact of the script on student collaboration and problem solving during scripted interaction and in subsequent unscripted interaction. While this effect was mirrored in the learning gains of the two dyads, we could not establish a general learning effect in the quantitative between-condition comparison of student performance. Particularly for students with low prior knowledge, the removal of the script in the test phase initially entailed a decline in reproduction performance as students had to get used to the unscripted problem-solving situation. A notable finding was, however, that the collaborative conditions yielded the same outcomes as the individual condition in the individual reproduction test even though students had solved fewer problems during the learning phase and had only solved them collaboratively.

Rough sets in the Soft Computing environment

Problem-solving in situations of uncertainty is a key issue in achieving effective computational systems. Various techniques have been developed to address uncertainty, including Soft Computing, which has established itself as an area of significant interest. On the other hand, rough sets theory has become an effective means of dealing with uncertainty, particularly when it arises as a result of inconsistencies in the data. The present paper surveys an analysis of the relationship between rough sets and other components of Soft Computing, and of how this hybridization helps improve system performance.

Role of beliefs and emotions in numerical problem solving in university physics education

Numerical problem solving in classical mechanics in university physics education offers a learning situation where students have many possibilities of control and creativity. In this study, expertlike beliefs about physics and learning physics together with prior knowledge were the most important predictors of the quality of performance of a task with many degrees of freedom. Feelings corresponding to control and concentration, i.e., emotions that are expected to trigger students' intrinsic motivation, were also important in predicting performance. Unexpectedly, intrinsic motivation, as indicated by enjoyment and interest, together with students' personal interest and utility value beliefs did not predict performance. This indicates that although a certain degree of enjoyment is probably necessary, motivated behavior is rather regulated by integration and identification of expertlike beliefs about learning and are more strongly associated with concentration and control during learning and, ultimately, with high performance. The results suggest that the development of students' epistemological beliefs is important for students' ability to learn from realistic problem-solving situations with many degrees of freedom in physics education.

Creative contexts as ways to strengthen mathematics learning

We study the relationship between creative tasks and the quality of learning. We found that when confronted with problem posing contexts, a high achiever in mathematics displays cognitive flexibility, and reaches a number of new understandings that allow deep learning. Consequently, efficient learning can be promoted in a context that combines problem posing and problem solving situations.

Longitudinal associations between the quality of parent−child interactions and children's sleep at preschool age.

This study aimed to examine the prospective longitudinal links between the quality of mother-child and father-child interactions and preschoolers' sleep. Three dimensions of maternal interactive behavior were considered using 70 mother-child dyads, while the quality of father-child interactions was assessed using 41 of these families. Maternal mind-mindedness was assessed at 12 months during a mother-infant free-play sequence, maternal sensitivity was rated at 12 months based on observations performed throughout a home visit, maternal autonomy support was assessed at 15 months with a 10-min problem-solving situation, and the quality of father-child interactions was scored at 18 months, during father-child free play. Children's sleep was assessed at 3 and 4 years using a sleep diary completed by mothers during 3 consecutive days. Results indicated that, after controlling for family socioeconomic status and daycare attendance, the quality of both mother-infant and father-infant interactions was positively related to children's percentage of night-time sleep at preschool age. These findings add to previous literature in suggesting that early caregiving behavior by both mothers and fathers is related to subsequent child sleep.

O problémech a cílech řízení znalostí

The contribution presents a brief outline of possible approaches to the concept "knowledge". The main emphasis is given on the relevance of the selected and applied knowledge with regards to the given task or problem-solving situation and to the competence of the subjects of knowledge, especially concerning the selection and integration of knowledge. It includes not only the integration of various spheres of knowledge, but also the integration of knowledge and values.

Characterizations of Social-Based and Self-Based Contexts Associated With Students' Awareness, Evaluation, and Regulation of Their Thinking During Small-Group Mathematical Modeling

This exploratory study focused on characterizing problem-solving situations associated with spontaneous metacognitive activity. The results came from connected case studies of a group of 3 purposefully selected 9th-grade students working collaboratively on a series of 5 modeling problems. Students' descriptions of their own thinking during small-group mathematical modeling, elicited during video-stimulated interviews, were analyzed to identify and characterize social-based and self-based contexts associated with metacognitive activity coded as awareness, regulatory, and evaluative. Three characterizations of the social-based contexts and 3 different characterizations of the self-based contexts emerged. Among social-based contexts, those characterized as interpreting diverse perspectives were significantly more frequent than those characterized as seeking mathematical consensus. Also, those characterized as engaging in explanations were significantly more frequent that those characterized as seeking mathematical consensus. Among self-based contexts, those characterized as seeking personal satisfaction were significantly more frequent than those characterized as making experience-based quantitative judgments as well as those identified as using personal projections.

Problem Discovery And Problem Solving In Unstructured Situations: Using The Pan-Pacific Enterprises Simulation With University Students

Simulations and games provide students with real-world experiences in a safe, controlled environment. Properly designed exercises can increase the effectiveness of classroom instruction and promote higher-order learning. Pan-Pacific Enterprises: Strategic Decision Making (2003) is a problem solving and communications simulation suitable for undergraduate and graduate students. Students are given a resource allocation problem and told to solve the problem in small groups outside of class. In class, each group has the opportunity to integrate its small group solution into a company-wide strategic plan. The core problem of the simulation is that the various groups are given different goals so they arrive at different solutions. These differences provide the entire class with an ambiguous problem with no obvious solution. The class as a whole has to develop a method to integrate the sometimes conflicting solutions.

The Design and Experimental Evaluation of a Scaffolded Software Environment to Improve Engineering Students' Disciplinary Problem‐Solving Skills

BackgroundIntroductory gateway engineering courses are notorious for their high attrition rates. Deficiencies in students' problem‐solving processes may contribute to their failure in these courses. In an empirical study of student problem solving, we observed that students struggle because of misconceptions regarding the basic syntax and semantics of disciplinary diagrams and corresponding mathematical equations.Purpose(Hypothesis)We hypothesize that a scaffolded software environment that provides dynamically‐generated feedback on the syntactic and semantic correctness of students' evolving disciplinary diagrams and mathematical equations can improve engineering students' problem‐solving abilities.Design/MethodWe iteratively developed ChemProV, a software environment to assist chemical engineering students in solving material balance problems. To evaluate ChemProV's effectiveness, we performed two between subjects experimental studies. The first study compared a preliminary version of the ChemProV to pen‐and‐paper. The second study compared a redesigned version of ChemProV with dynamic feedback to the same version of ChemProV without dynamic feedback.ResultsWhile it did not uncover any significant differences, the first study provided insight into how to improve ChemProV's dynamic feedback mechanism. The second study found that the “feedback” version of ChemProV promoted a statistically‐significant advantage in problem‐solving accuracy, significantly more time‐on‐task, and a transfer‐of‐training to an unscaffolded problem‐solving situation.ConclusionA scaffolded software environment like ChemProV can serve as a valuable aid in helping students learn engineering problem‐solving skills. Its software design approach can be used as a model for designing educationally‐effective software environments for other engineering disciplines.

Worry, Beliefs about Worry and Problem Solving in Young Children

Childhood worry is common, and yet little is known about why some children develop pathological worry and others do not. Two theories of adult worry that are particularly relevant to children are Davey's problem-solving model in which perseverative worry occurs as a result of thwarted problem-solving attempts, and Wells' metacognitive model, in which positive and negative beliefs about worry interact to produce pathological worry. The present study aimed to test hypotheses that levels of worry in young children are associated with poor or avoidant solution generation for social problems, and poor problem-solving confidence. It also aimed to explore beliefs about worry in this age group, and to examine their relationships with worry, anxiety and age. Fifty-seven young children (6-10 years) responded to open ended questions about social problem-solving situations and beliefs about worry, and completed measures of worry, anxiety and problem-solving confidence. Children with higher levels of worry and anxiety reported using more avoidant solutions in social problem situations and children's low confidence in problem solving was associated with high levels of worry. Children as young as 6 years old reported both positive and negative beliefs about worry, but neither were associated with age, gender, or level of anxiety or worry. RESULTS indicate similarities between adults and children in the relationships between problem-solving variables and worry, but not in relationships between beliefs about worry and worry. This may be due to developmental factors, or may be the result of measurement issues.

Pensamiento crítico: su relevancia para la educación en una sociedad cambiante

El volumen de información y la multiplicidad de situaciones a enfrentar diariamente exigen nuevas funciones cognitivas, particularmente combinando conocimiento, experiencia y habilidades intelectuales. El pensamiento crítico es valorado como una forma superior de razonamiento y una competencia transversal a los sistemas educativos. Se presentan algunas definiciones presentes en la literatura, describiendo las funciones cognitivas responsables por el pensamiento crítico en las situaciones de aprendizaje y de resolución de problemas. Se exponen los procedimientos más empleados en su evaluación, ilustrando con algunas pruebas y con algunos programas y planificación curricular implementados para la enseñanza y el desenvolvimiento en la clase. Finalmente, se señala la importancia de continuar haciendo estudios que busquen la convergencia de elementos teóricos y prácticos asociados a la definición de pensamiento crítico.

Solving complex problems: A convergent approach to cognitive load measurement

AbstractThe study challenged the current practices in cognitive load measurement involving complex problem solving by manipulating the presence of pictures in multiple rule‐based problem‐solving situations and examining the cognitive load resulting from both off‐line and online measures associated with complex problem solving. Forty‐eight participants were recruited from a subject pool in the Educational Psychology department in a large research university in western USA. Results showed that the presence of pictures had no effect on learners' complex problem solving as measured by the response time and accuracy. However, the online measure (eg, pupillometric measures) revealed a change in cognitive load associated with the presence of pictures in complex problem solving. The authors concluded that different measures of cognitive load may actually be measuring separate aspects of cognitive load. Discussions were made on how research on multimedia learning and cognitive load could be advanced by carefully considering multiple aspects of cognitive load and by including the use of convergent measurement techniques to capture the variations of cognitive load involved in learning.

The nature of gestures' beneficial role in spatial problem solving.

Co-thought gestures are hand movements produced in silent, noncommunicative, problem-solving situations. In the study, we investigated whether and how such gestures enhance performance in spatial visualization tasks such as a mental rotation task and a paper folding task. We found that participants gestured more often when they had difficulties solving mental rotation problems (Experiment 1). The gesture-encouraged group solved more mental rotation problems correctly than did the gesture-allowed and gesture-prohibited groups (Experiment 2). Gestures produced by the gesture-encouraged group enhanced performance in the very trials in which they were produced (Experiments 2 & 3). Furthermore, gesture frequency decreased as the participants in the gesture-encouraged group solved more problems (Experiments 2 & 3). In addition, the advantage of the gesture-encouraged group persisted into subsequent spatial visualization problems in which gesturing was prohibited: another mental rotation block (Experiment 2) and a newly introduced paper folding task (Experiment 3). The results indicate that when people have difficulty in solving spatial visualization problems, they spontaneously produce gestures to help them, and gestures can indeed improve performance. As they solve more problems, the spatial computation supported by gestures becomes internalized, and the gesture frequency decreases. The benefit of gestures persists even in subsequent spatial visualization problems in which gesture is prohibited. Moreover, the beneficial effect of gesturing can be generalized to a different spatial visualization task when two tasks require similar spatial transformation processes. We concluded that gestures enhance performance on spatial visualization tasks by improving the internal computation of spatial transformations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

What does it mean to be good at using a mobile device? An investigation of three levels of experience and skill

An increasing number of computer users lack formal training in operating their devices. These daily users cannot be described as novices or experts within the predominant view of expertise. In order to describe and better understand this type of self-taught intermediate level of skill, 10 casual users of a high-end smartphone series were compared to 10 novices and 4 professionals (help desk personnel) in their learning histories, task performance, and cognitive outcomes. Our study suggests that this type of self-taught intermediate level of skill is device-specific. Experienced users (casual users and experts) exhibited superior performance for representative tasks. This is mainly attributable to faster navigation and better knowledge of interface terminology, not to deeper conceptual representation of the problems. Interviews suggest that this skill is the consequence of routine use and three recurring learning events: familiarization, following of media, and ad hoc problem-solving situations. We conclude by discussing why intermediate levels of skill deserve more attention in HCI research.

Modelling problem-solving situations into number theory tasks: The route towards generalisation

This paper examines the way two 10th graders cope with a non-standard generalisation problem that involves elementary concepts of number theory (more specifically linear Diophantine equations) in the geometrical context of a rectangle’s area. Emphasis is given on how the students’ past experience of problem solving (expressed through interplay among different modes of thinking and actions that show executive control and decision-making skills) supported them in their route towards generalisation.

Implementing Landscape Water Conservation in Public School Institutional Settings: A Case for Situational Problem Solving1

Kilgren, Douglas C., Joanna Endter‐Wada, Roger K. Kjelgren, and Paul G. Johnson, 2010. Implementing Landscape Water Conservation in Public School Institutional Settings: A Case for Situational Problem Solving. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(6):1205–1220. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2010.00486.xAbstract: Urban water conservation programs and research generally focus on residential and commercial use while paying less attention to institutional settings. We studied irrigated landscape water conservation at public schools, controlling for type of irrigation system (manual vs. automated control) and water conservation interventions (control, directive, prescriptive, and educational). We monitored landscape water use to compare changes among interventions and irrigation systems to measured plant water needs and historical use. Interviews and diaries allowed the study of behavior among custodians managing landscape irrigation. Large irrigation system effects overshadowed impact of the interventions. Schools using automated systems had high landscape water use and substantial capacity for water conservation but actual savings varied among schools. Schools using manual systems were the opposite yet many still managed further reductions in response to interventions. Effectiveness of water conservation interventions depended upon the contexts in which they were applied. Interventions were more effective when they led to situational problem solving that integrated generalized scientific and technical knowledge with experiential knowledge. Our findings suggest ways for school districts to decide where, when, and how to intervene in promoting water conservation but caution school districts investing in automated‐irrigation systems, particularly if they will be operated remotely.

Learning task models in ill-defined domain using an hybrid knowledge discovery framework

Domain experts should provide Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) with relevant domain knowledge that enable it to guide the learner during problem-solving learning activities. However, for ill-defined domains this knowledge is hard to define explicitly. Our hypothesis is that knowledge discovery (KD) techniques can be used to extract problem-solving task models from the recorded usage of expert, intermediate and novice learners. This paper proposes a procedural-knowledge acquisition framework based on a combination of sequential pattern mining and association rules discovery techniques. The framework has been implemented and is used to discover new meta-knowledge and rules in a given domain which then extend domain knowledge and serve as problem space, allowing the Intelligent Tutoring System to guide learners in problem-solving situations. Preliminary experiments have been conducted using the framework as an alternative to a path-planning problem solver in CanadarmTutor.

Improving the authentic learning experience by integrating robots into the mixed-reality environment

The main aim of the modern popular teaching method of authentic learning has been to provide students with everyday-life challenges that develop knowledge and skills through problem solving in different situations. Many emerging information technologies have been used to present authentic environment in pedagogical purpose. However, there are few studies that have been discussed the sense of authenticity and characters in scene and how students interact with the characters involved in the task. We designed a system, RoboStage, with authentic scenes by using mixed-reality technology and robot to investigate the difference in learning with either physical or virtual characters and learning behaviors and performance through the system. Robots were designed to play real interactive characters in the task. The experiment of the study conducted with 36 junior high students. The results indicated that RoboStage significantly improved the sense of authenticity of the task and also positively affected learning motivation. Learning performance was conditionally affected by RoboStage.

Multi-channel management in direct marketing retailing: Traditional call center versus Internet channel

The direct marketing retailers have traditionally provided mail order and call center channels. In the emergence of the Internet channel, the direct marketing retailers have reported a large increase in the use of Internet channel and some have encouraged the customers to use the Internet channel more than other channels because of potential cost savings for the firm. However, the traditional call center channel has not disappeared from the direct marketing industry. This study is motivated by this observation, and investigates the relative benefits of using different channels. It sets up hypotheses about the consumer's channel usage behavior and provides an empirical study of what benefits the consumers see in using different channels. It also investigates whether encouraging the consumers to use the Internet channel would be beneficial for the retailers and the consumers. We use a transactional database from a direct marketing retailer that operates multiple channels. Our empirical results support the hypotheses and show that the Internet channel is helpful for the purchase when the consumer has low perceived risk and high experience and familiarity with the purchase, but the call center channel is helpful when the consumer has high perceived risk and low experience and familiarity with the purchase. The results suggest that the direct marketing retailer is not recommended to encourage the consumers to use the Internet channel for cost saving purpose, but to help them use proper channels for different problem-solving situations.