An ecological approach to the on-line assessment of problem-solving paths: Principles and applications

In this paper, we propose a theoretical framework for designing on-line situated assessment tools for multimedia instructional systems. Based on an ecological psychology approach to situated learning, a graph theoretic methodology is applied to monitor students' performance (solution paths) throughout the learning activity. Deviation of the student's path from the target (expert) path generates indicators which can function as alerts to the student and to the instructor. The information collected in the dribble files and presented visually enables the instructor to identify problems quickly and intervene appropriately. The feasibility of the methodology is explored in case studies describing three instructional systems that teach (1) critical thinking and problem-solving skills, (2) principles of hemodynamic monitoring and treatment, and (3) orthodontic treatment, respectively.     

问题解决的信息机制

阐述了信息科学中的一些基本问题，并利用信息科学的观点对问题解决理论进行了分析和总结，从而对问题解决概念、影响因子与问题解决过程中的信息活动模式和信息机制有了新的比较深入的认识。所得结论对问题解决方法研究和表象与环境相互作用的系统设计具有一定的参考价值。     

把脉解题方向 对接思维通道

文章从数学解题的前提、核心和抓手三个方面剖析数学解题过程中的思维活动和心理变化,为数学解题思路的获得和教学提供思想上的指导.     

Effects of performance feedback valence on perceptions of invested mental effort

We investigated whether the valence of performance feedback provided after a task, would affect participants’ perceptions of how much mental effort they invested in that same task. In three experiments, we presented participants with problem-solving tasks and manipulated the presence and valence of feedback between conditions (no, positive, or negative feedback valence), prior to asking them to rate how much mental effort they invested in solving that problem. Across the three experiments–with different problem-solving tasks and participant populations–we found that subjective ratings of effort investment were significantly higher after negative than after positive feedback; ratings given without feedback fell in between. These findings show that feedback valence alters perceived effort investment (possibly via task perceptions or affect), which can be problematic when effort is measured as an indicator of cognitive load. Therefore, it seems advisable to measure mental effort directly after each task, before giving feedback on performance.     

幼儿科教活动中提问所存在的问题及解决策略

由于幼儿注意力容易分散,行动的目的性和预见性差,因此需要教师对幼儿教育要寓教于乐。提问是教师设疑、激趣的好方法,但是在科学教育活动中,教师的提问也有使用不当的时候,影响了幼儿学习的效果。探讨教师提问所存在的问题并提出有效的解决策略。     

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.     

Persona-Based Journaling: Striving for Authenticity in Representing the Problem-Solving Process

Students’ mathematical problem-solving experiences are fraught with failed attempts, wrong turns, and partial successes that move in fits and jerks, oscillating between periods of inactivity, stalled progress, rapid advancement, and epiphanies. Students’ problem-solving journals, however, do not always reflect this rather organic process. Without proper guidance, some students tend to ‘smooth’ out their experiences and produce journal writing that is less reflective of the process and more representative of their product. In this article, I present research on the effectiveness of a persona-based framework for guiding students’ journaling to reflect the erratic to-and-fro of the problem-solving process more accurately. This framework incorporates the use of three personas—the narrator, the mathematician, and the participant—in telling the tale of the problem-solving process. Results indicate that this persona-based framework is effective in producing more representative journals.     

The effects of informational complexity and working memory on problem-solving efficiency

This study investigated the influence of informational complexity and working memory capacity on problem-solving efficiency. We examined two predictions of thesituational efficiency hypothesis, which states that the efficiency of problem solving varies as a function of situational constraints. One prediction is that informational complexity affects problem-solving efficiency. A second prediction is that working memory capacity affects problem-solving efficiency. Students completed a working memory task and solved abstract and concrete syllogisms. Participants solved abstract syllogisms more accurately than concrete syllogisms and spent more time solving abstract syllogisms. Thus participants demonstrated greater problem-solving efficiency when solving concrete syllogisms. Results indicate that there is a trade-off between problem-solving accuracy and problem-solving time when information differs with respect to informational complexity, a phenomenon we refer to as theefficiency paradox. Working memory capacity did not affect accuracy or efficiency. The results support the conclusion that problem-solving efficiency is situational and a function of the complexity of information. Educational implications and directions for future research are suggested.     

问题解决模式与场依存性认知方式的相关研究

以往关于问题解决模式的研究并没有揭示出不同个体解决同一问题时认知行为的内部差异及其与场依存性认知方式的相关性.提出盲目式、产生式、范畴式三种认知模式,综合运用认知作业分析法、心理测验法、个案访谈法来揭示不同个体在同一问题解决中认知模式的差异及与场依存性认知方式的相关性.结果发现各种问题解决认知模式的个案数具有非常显著性的差异;认知模式的总体分布没有表现出性别上的显著差异;认知模式与场依存性认知方式显著相关.因此可得出结论:不同个体解决同一问题时认知行为存在显著的内部差异;认知模式与场依存性认知方式具有显著相关性;认知模式的总体分布在性别上的差异不显著.