Understanding individual problem-solving style: A key to learning and applying creative problem solving

More than five decades of research and development have focused on making the Creative Problem Solving process and tools accessible across a wide range of ages and contexts. Recent evidence indicates that when individuals, in both school and corporate settings, understand their own style of problem solving, they are able to learn and apply process tools more effectively, and when teams appreciate the styles of their individual members, their problem solving efforts are enhanced. We summarize recent studies and report new data supporting the conclusion that individual style differences provide an important key to understanding the interaction of person, process, product, and press when managing change.     

Private speech in children with ADHD and their typically developing peers during problem-solving and inhibition tasks

This study compared private speech of children with ADHD and normal controls during problem solving and inhibition tasks. Thirty-two children (16 children with ADHD and 16 matched controls) aged 6–11 years participated. Consistent with previous studies, children with ADHD produced more task-irrelevant and task-relevant external private speech than control children during problem-solving tasks, but did not differ in their use of task-relevant internal private speech. During the inhibition/attention task (Continuous Performance Test-II), children with ADHD produced more task-relevant external and more task-relevant internal private speech, suggesting that they may have employed a less mature strategy to aid in self-regulation. The educational implications of the current study are that there should be an increased awareness of the developmental nature and functional significance of private speech and how private speech usage may differ in children with ADHD.     

Problem solving strategies and mathematical resources: A longitudinal view on problem solving in a function based approach to algebra

This study is an attempt to analyze students' construction of function based problem solving methods in introductory algebra. It claims that for functions to be a main concept for learning school algebra, a complex process that has to be developed during a long period of learning must take place. The article describes a longitudinal observation of a pair of students that studied algebra for 3 years using a function approach, including intensive use of graphing technology. Such a long observation is difficult to carry out and even more difficult to report. We watched for three years classrooms using the ‘Visual-Math’ sequence, and sampled students that exhibited various levels of mathematics achievement. The analysis method presented here is a non-standard case study of a pair of lower achievers students and their work is often juxtaposed to the work of other pairs participating in the study. The students' attempts to solve a linear break-even problem is analyzed along three interviews which present the development of the use of mathematical resources and the patterns of problem solving at different learning phases. Beyond describing solving attempts, the article offers terms for describing and explaining what and how do learners appreciate and make out of solving introductory school algebra problems over a three years course. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Tower of Hanoi disk-transfer task: Influences of strategy knowledge and learning on performance

Tower of Hanoi has become a popular tool in cognitive and neuropsychology to assess a set of behaviors collectively referred to as executive functions. Substantial variability in performance on the Tower of Hanoi (TOH) disk-transfer task among normally functioning young adults, and potential contributions to these individual differences, were examined. In this expanded 60-problem version of the four-disk TOH, the degree to which problem administration (blocked vs. random) and strategy knowledge influenced overall performance and changes in accuracy across problems was examined. Eighty-seven college students were randomly assigned to a Blocked Group (problems given in ascending order of move-length) and a Random Group (problems given in a random order). After administration of the TOH task, participants described their problem solving and these verbal protocols were analyzed with regard to four elements of a strategic approach to problem solving. Problem administration order demonstrated no effect on task performance or on expressed strategy knowledge; however, strategy knowledge did predict performance on the TOH. An expected decrease in performance across trials was observed in the Blocked Group, and an increase in accuracy in the Random group indicated a learning effect. Strategy knowledge did not interact with these changes in performance across the items. These results suggest that external cues do not influence performance on the TOH to the same extent as individual differences in strategy induction relatively early in the problem solving process.     

Advances in research on classroom dialogue: learning outcomes and assessments

The goal of this special issue is to examine how certain modes of classroom dialogue might contribute to students' learning outcomes. The articles in this special issue share the idea of classroom talk as a problem-oriented dialogue. In other words, an interactional configuration based on exchanges among students and teachers that go beyond the predominantly monologic approaches of classroom talk. In each of the contributions to this special issue, different types of learning outcomes were studied as a result of specific ways of orchestrating classroom dialogue. All in all, the studies in this special issue yield a picture of the field as a productive research area: they provide evidence for the plausibility of the assumption that dialogic orchestrations of classroom talk may produce various desired learning and developmental outcomes in students, depending on what outcomes we want to articulate, and how they are assessed. Although the studies in this special issue yield promising results for future improvements of classroom practice more (preferably longitudinal) research is required.     

Pre-schoolers,pre-school teachers,and interpersonal problem-solving skills: a comparative study in Turkey and Belgium

Interpersonal cognitive problem solving, one of the most crucial social skills, is a life-long competency that must be supported from the early years of life. In this study, the opinions of 55 Turkish pre-school teachers and 53 Flemish pre-school teachers who work with 3–6-year-old children in private and public pre-schools in metropolitan cities of both countries were obtained using the Teacher's Interpersonal Problem Solving Questionnaire. When the results were considered, it was noticed that Turkish pre-school teachers tend to solve problems as soon as they emerge. They usually prefer to suggest a solution to the problem or give advice. On the contrary, pre-school teachers in Belgium express that they analysed problems together with the children and guided children to produce various solutions. It was revealed that few Turkish and Flemish teachers have specific training in improving interpersonal problem-solving skills in children.     

The modality effect in a mobile learning environment: Learning from spoken text and real objects

The finding that under split-attention conditions students learn more from a picture and spoken text than from a picture and written text (ie, the modality effect) has consistently been found in many types of computer-assisted multimedia learning environments. Using 58 fifth-grade and sixth-grade elementary school children as participants, we investigated whether the modality effect can also be found in a mobile learning environment (MLE) on plants' leaf morphology, in which students had to learn by integrating information from text and real plants in the physical environment. A single factor experimental design was used to examine the hypothesis that students in a mixed-mode condition with real plants and spoken text (STP condition) would pay more attention to the real plants, and achieve higher performance on retention, comprehension, and transfer tests than the single-mode condition with real plants and written text (WTP condition). Whereas we found that participants in the STP condition paid more attention to observing the plants, and achieved a higher score on the transfer test than participants in the WTP condition, no differences were found between the conditions for retention and comprehension test performance.     

The impact of learner characteristics on information utilization strategies, cognitive load experienced, and performance in hypermedia learning

Against the background of an adaptation of Cognitive Load Theory to learner-controlled settings we investigated the impact of learner characteristics on information utilization strategies, cognitive load, and learning outcomes in a hypermedia environment. Based on the data of 79 students, five clusters of students were identified according to their learner characteristics by means of a cluster analysis. Further analyses showed that learners with more favorable characteristics (i.e., higher prior knowledge, more complex epistemological beliefs, more positive attitudes towards mathematics, better cognitive and metacognitive strategy use) tended to show a more adaptive example utilization behavior, reported less cognitive load, and solved more problems correctly than learners with less favorable characteristics.     

Developing a university course for online delivery based on learning objects: from ideals to compromises

A course instructor and his assistant at Athabasca University investigated whether the process of transferring interoperable learning objects from online repositories facilitated course production, both pedagogically and economically. They examined the efficiency of the objects‐assembly method from several perspectives while developing an online university course based on learning objects for this, one of Canada's leading online and distance education institutions. The two researchers examined issues that confronted them as they gathered, assessed, repaired, assembled and created learning objects. When their search for suitable objects appeared fruitless, they questioned assumptions made by theoreticians and visionaries about pedagogical and economic efficiencies associated with the objects‐assembly metaphor and production. They highlighted this metaphor's failure to guide their course design based on learning objects in a climate of uncertainty and explained the nature of the compromise that eventually compelled them to acquire a proprietary online delivery system.     

Examining the effectiveness of guided inquiry with problem-solving process and cognitive function training in a high school chemistry course

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of traditional versus guided inquiry (with problem-solving process and cognitive function training) on high school chemistry knowledge, science process skills, scientific attitudes, and problem-solving competency. Two classes of students were recruited from three classes of Grade 11 students at one school in North-eastern Thailand. Using a split-plot design, students were assigned to an experimental (N = 34) and a control group (N = 31), and were administered (a) learning achievement tests (chemistry knowledge, science process skills, and scientific attitude), (b) a problem-solving competency test, and c) tests of cognitive functioning. The findings showed that students’ learning achievement and problem-solving competency in the guided inquiry group were significantly higher than in the traditional group. The effect of the new teaching method does not seem to stem solely from improvement in cognitive functioning. We attributed the improvement to greater flexibility in the amount of information provided by the teachers, more effortful processing by the students, and greater collaboration amongst the students.     

Visualizing knowledge in new educational environments: a course on learning objects

This article describes the learning objectives, the course activities, experiences and outcomes of a graduate level course on learning object design. The course was developed and taught at The Ohio State University by the author during the Spring Quarter of 2003. Students from the visual design and education disciplines partnered to work on a client‐initiated, authentic, grant‐funded project. The students, working in teams and serving as expert consultants to each other, were tasked with designing prototypes for learning objects to be used by freshman high school students, particularly those with disabilities. The course provided an opportunity to observe how developers actually built learning objects and to apply that knowledge to better understanding the issues facing faculty when challenged with the same tasks.     

Designing and implementing a case-based learning environment for enhancing ill-structured problem solving: classroom management problems for prospective teachers

This design-based research study is aimed at two goals: (1) developing a feasible case-based instructional model that could enhance college students’ ill-structured problem solving abilities, while (2) implementing the model to improve teacher education students’ real-world problem solving abilities to deal with dilemmas faced by practicing teachers in elementary classrooms. To achieve these goals, an online case-based learning environment for classroom management problem solving (CBL-CMPS) was developed based on Jonassen’s (in: Reigeluth (ed.) Instructional-Design Theories and Models: A New Paradigm of Instructional Theory, 1999) constructivist learning environment model and the general process of ill-structured problem solving (1997). Two successive studies, in which the effectiveness of the CBL-CMPS was tested while the CBL-CMPS was revised, showed that the individual components of the CBL-CMPS promoted ill-structured problem solving abilities respectively, and that the CBL-CMPS as a whole learning environment was effective to a degree for the transfer of learning in ill-structured problem solving. The potential, challenge, and implications of the CBL-CMPS are discussed.

Comparing balance and inverse methods on learning conceptual and procedural knowledge in equation solving: a cognitive load perspective

We examined the use of balance and inverse methods in equation solving. The main difference between the balance and inverse methods lies in the operational line (e.g. +2 on both sides vs ?2 becomes +2). Differential element interactivity favours the inverse method because the interaction between elements occurs on both sides of the equation for the balance method but only on one side of the equation for the inverse method. In an experimental study, 63 students (mean age = 13) were randomly allocated to either balance or inverse group to undertake a pre-test, study an instruction sheet, complete acquisition equations, sit for a post-test and a concept test. Procedural knowledge was assessed on performance on practice equations and post-test, whereas conceptual knowledge was assessed on performance on the concept test. The inverse group outperformed the balance group on practice equations but not the post-test. Both the balance and inverse groups scored higher on the inverse concept test than the balance concept test. Positive association between performance on procedural knowledge and performance on conceptual knowledge was found for the inverse group but not the balance group. Overall, the evidence obtained indicates a number of educational implications for implementation.     

Foundational skills and dispositions for learning: an experience with Information Problem Solving on the Web

Active participation in the information society requires the ability to find some order in the chaotic nature of the Web and not to get lost within the endemic presence of inaccurate, misleading, biased and false information. This article presents an approach to Information Problem Solving (IPS) – that is, finding, understanding and assessing information on the Web – and discusses a study carried out in an Italian secondary school, using an experimental and a control group. The study aimed at exploring how to best foster IPS skills, and observing whether and how IPS activities could promote the development of more general learning dispositions and competences. After a period of training with IPS activities, the experimental group showed different dispositions towards learning from a text and engaging with open-ended questions. Despite serious limitations in the depth of analysis, most students were able to reach acceptable solutions; at the same time, they felt empowered and developed an embryonic critical attitude on which it might be possible to build further.     

Content and timing of feedback in a web-based learning environment: effects on learning as a function of prior knowledge

This study investigated the effectiveness of different types of feedback content (elaborate versus global) and feedback timing (immediate versus delayed) for learning genetics in a web-based learning environment as a function of learners' prior knowledge. It was hypothesized that learning outcomes of students with low prior knowledge would be fostered by immediate elaborate feedback, whereas those of students with more prior knowledge would be enhanced by delayed global feedback. Students' perceptions of the feedback they received were explored. Results showed a significant positive effect of global feedback on learning outcomes for higher prior knowledge learners, although those who received elaborate feedback gave a higher appreciation rating. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for the design and delivery of feedback in web-based learning environments.     

Parents supporting learning: a non-intensive intervention supporting literacy and numeracy in the home learning environment

In Australia, emphasis in early childhood education policy is placed on the importance of the role of the family as a child's first educator, and finding effective ways to raise the effectiveness of parents in supporting children's learning, development and well-being. International studies demonstrate that the home learning environment (HLE) provided by parents is closely associated with children's cognitive outcomes: literacy activities at home are likely to predict children's literacy abilities and numeracy activities at home are likely to predict children's numeracy abilities. However, studies focusing on building the capacity of primary caregivers to increase informal learning opportunities, such as enhancing children's literacy and numeracy learning in the HLE, have rarely been the focus of research. This study uses a sample of 113 four-year-old children to explore the association of specific aspects of the HLE with different child outcomes while controlling for child and family characteristics. In addition, a non-intensive, yet purposeful and systematic intervention to draw parents’ attention to the principles of dialogic reading and the principles of counting was introduced. Study findings suggest that parents responded positively to this approach, and that literacy and numeracy aspects of the HLE were specific predictors for children's numeracy and literacy competencies.     

Student ability in identifying reasons for different points of view: A learning activity conducted with a group of Japanese High School Students

Problem solving as a skill is emphasized within the revised Japanese Course of Study for schools. This experimental study, conducted among Japanese high school students, evaluates an effort to develop student ability to identify reasons fordifferent points of view, not just personally favored views. First, the ability of all students was tested using a reading literacy question from the 2000 PISA test, which measures the reading skills of evaluation and reflection. The experimental group then participated in a developmental learning activity. After the activity, all students were retested using the same PISA question. Nothing conclusive was found regarding the general effectiveness of the lesson activity, but two insights were gained. It was found that student self-awareness of the importance of the learning task and interactive learning are important to consider.     

Students with learning disabilities in the university environment: a study of faculty and student perceptions.

This study examines faculty and student perceptions regarding university students with learning disabilities, sensitivity to such students' special needs, accommodations, and the perceived impact of a learning disability. Results reveal a general sensitivity to the special needs of students with learning disabilities; however, group differences suggest several areas warranting further attention.