Improving problem-solving through reflection
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Effective science and engineering education goes beyond teaching content knowledge, and encompasses training problem-solvers who can use their knowledge to solve complex problems. Over the past decade, the science and engineering education community (NRC 2012, NGSS) has acknowledged the significance of training good scientific problem-solvers, and called for including teaching science and engineering practices in the curriculum, but there remain essential questions to be addressed: "What are the characteristics of good scientific problem-solving?", "how should we assess scientific problem-solving?", and "how should we teach scientific problem-solving?" In a series of three studies, we have addressed these questions. In the first study, we studied problem-solvers working to solve novel, complex problems. We identified eight major practices used in solving such problems. Based on the identified practices, we designed a problem-solving framework to assess students' level of performance in each of these practices. We showed that performance as measured by this framework was a better predictor than the level of content knowledge for success in problem solving. Based on the identified practices in the first study, for the second and third study, we designed a problem-solving training. We first showed that this training indeed improved students' problem-solving (study 2 & 3); second, this improvement transcended specific content area, and students' problem-solving improved in a content area different than the content area of their training (study 2). Last but not least, the improvement from the problem-solving training exceeded the improvement produced by the learner attempting multiple problems and receiving feedback only about the accuracy of answers; the conventional method for teaching problem solving. (study 3). In summary, in these three studies, we used empirical data to characterize problem-solving practices. Based on this characterization, we developed a framework to assess students' problem-solving. Further, based on the developed framework, we designed a training program that successfully taught students to become better problem-solvers.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Place | California |
| Place | [Stanford, California] |
| Publisher | [Stanford University] |
| Copyright date | 2018; ©2018 |
| Publication date | 2018; 2018 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Salehi, Shima | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree supervisor | Wieman, C. E. (Carl Edwin) | |
| Thesis advisor | Wieman, C. E. (Carl Edwin) | |
| Thesis advisor | Kenny, Thomas William | |
| Thesis advisor | Schwartz, Daniel L | |
| Degree committee member | Kenny, Thomas William | |
| Degree committee member | Schwartz, Daniel L | |
| Associated with | Stanford University, Graduate School of Education. |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|---|
| Genre | Text |
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Shima Salehi. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Graduate School of Education. |
| Thesis | Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2018. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2018 by Shima Salehi
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