The Impact of Problem-Solving Instruction on Middle School Students’ Physical Science Learning: Interplays of Knowledge, Reasoning, and Problem Solving

Shu-Chuan Cheng; Hsiao-Ching She; Li-Yu Huang

doi:10.12973/ejmste/80902

Full Text (PDF)

Shu-Chuan Cheng ¹, Hsiao-Ching She ¹ ^* , Li-Yu Huang ¹

More Detail

¹ Institute of Education, National Chiao Tung University, TAIWAN, ROC^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of problem solving instruction on 126 middle school students’ learning of physical science in terms of their scientific knowledge, scientific concept dependent reasoning and problem solving ability. This study used a quasi-experiment with one factorial design of instructional approaches (problem solving and traditional hands-on learning). Sixty-one students participated in problem solving while sixty-five students participated in traditional hands-on learning. Results indicate that the problem solving group significantly outperformed the traditional hands-on learning group for both immediate and retaining effect, regardless of scientific knowledge, scientific concept dependent reasoning and scientific problem solving abilities. The regression results also indicated that the scientific concept dependent reasoning test is the best predictor for scientific problem solving ability, followed by scientific knowledge itself. Our study demonstrates that students’ scientific knowledge, reasoning and problem solving all are successfully improved after receiving six weeks scientific problem solving.

Keywords

physical science
scientific problem solving
scientific reasoning
scientific knowledge
problem solving instruction

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 14, Issue 3, March 2018, 731-743

https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80902

Publication date: 30 Nov 2017

Article Views: 7460

Article Downloads: 7735

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Becerra-Labra, C., Gras-Martí, A., & Torregrosa, J. M. (2012). Effects of a Problem-based Structure of Physics Contents on Conceptual Learning and the Ability to Solve Problems. International Journal of Science Education, 34(8), 1235-1253.
Bransford, J. D. (1994). Who ya gonna call? Thoughts about teaching problem solving. In P. Hallinger, K. Lithwood, & J. Murphy (Eds.), Cognitive perspectives on educational leadership (pp. 171-191). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Bulu, S. T., & Pedersen, S. (2010). Scaffolding middle school students’ content knowledge and ill-structured problem solving in a problem-based hypermedia learning environment. Educational Technology Research and Development, 58(5), 507-529.
Cavallo, A. M. L. (1996). Meaningful learning, reasoning ability, and students’ understanding and problem solving of topics in genetics. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 33(6), 625-656.
Chang, C. Y. (2010). Does problem solving = prior knowledge + reasoning skills in earth science? An exploratory study. Research in Science Education, 40(2), 103-116.
Chen, C. H. (2010). Promoting college students’ knowledge acquisition and ill-structured problem solving: Web-based integration and procedure prompts. Computers & Education, 55(1), 292-303.
Chua, B. L., Tan, O. S., & Liu, W. C. (2016). Journey into the problem-solving process: cognitive functions in a PBL environment. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 53(2), 191-202.
English, L. (1996). Children’s reasoning in solving novel problems of deduction. In L. Puig & A. Gutierrez (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th PME Conference, 2, 329-336.
Garrison, D. R. (1991). Critical thinking and adult education: A conceptual model for developing critical thinking in adult learners. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 10 (4), 287-303.
Gick, M. L. (1986). Problem-solving strategies. Educational Psychologist, 21(1/2), 99-120.
Gipson, M. H., Abraham, M. R., & Renner, J. W. (1989). Relationships between formal-operational thought and conceptual difficulties in genetics problem solving. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 26(9), 811-821.
Hambrick, D. Z., & Engle, R. W. (2003). The role of working memory in problem solving. In J.E. Davidson & R.J. Sternberg (Eds.), The psychology of problem solving (pp. 176-206). London, England: Cambridge Press.
Harskamp, E., & Ding, N. (2006). Structured Collaboration versus Individual Learning in Solving Physics Problems. International Journal of Science Education, 28(14), 1669-1688.
Heller, P., & Hollabaugh, M. (1992). Teaching Problem Solving Through Cooperative Grouping. Part 2: Designing Problems and Structuring Groups. American Journal of Physics, 60(7), 637-644.
Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004). Problem-based learning: What and how do students learn? Educational psychology review, 16(3), 235-266.
Hmelo-Silver, C. E., Duncan, R. G., & Chinn, C. A. (2007). Scaffolding and achievement in problem-based and inquiry learning: A response to Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2006). Educational psychologist, 42(2), 99-107.
Johnson-Laird, P.N. (2000). Thinking: Reasoning. In A. Kazdin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychology (pp. 75–79). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Jonassen, D.H. (1997). Instructional design models for well-structured and ill-structured problem-solving learning outcomes. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 45(1), 65-94.
Kim, M.C. & Hannafin, M.L. (2011). Scaffolding problem solving in technology-enhanced learning environments (TELEs): Bridging research and theory with practice. Computers & Education, 56(2), 403-417.
Kintsch, W., & Greeno, J.G. (1985). Understanding and solving word arithmetic problems. Psychological Review, 92(1), 109-129.
Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational psychologist, 41(2), 75-86.
Klegeris, A., McKeown, S. B., Hurren, H., Spielman, L. J., Stuart, M., & Bahniwal, M. (2016). Dynamics of undergraduate student generic problem-solving skills captured by a campus-wide study. Higher Education, 1-20.
Lawson, A. E., & Renner, J. W. (1975). Relationship of science subject matter and developmental level of learners. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 12(4), 347-358.
Lawson, A. E., & Thompson, L. (1988). Formal reasoning ability and misconception concerning genetics and natural selection. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 25(9), 733-746.
Lawson, A. E., & Worsnop, W. A. (1992). Learning about evolution and rejecting a belief in special creation: Effects of reflective reasoning skill, prior knowledge, prior belief and religious commitment. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29(2), 143-166.
Lee, Y., & Jeon, P. (1998). A study on correlations among affective characteristics, mathematical problem-solving, and reasoning ability of 6th graders in elementary school. Journal of the Korea Society of Mathematical Education Series C. Education of Primary School Mathematics, 2(2), 113-131.
Lucangeli, D., Tressoldi, P. E., & Cendron, M. (1998). Cognitive and metacognitive abilities involved in the solution of Mathematical Word Problems: Validation of a comprehensive model. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 23(3), 257-275.
Maloney, D. P. (1994). Research on problem-solving: Physics. In D. L. Gabel (Ed.), Handbook of research on science teaching and learning. (pp. 327-356). New York, NY: Macmillan.
Mann, E. L., Chamberlin, S. A., & Graefe, A. K. (2017). The Prominence of Affect in Creativity: Expanding the Conception of Creativity in Mathematical Problem Solving. In Creativity and Giftedness (pp. 57-73). Springer International Publishing, Switzerland.
Mayer, R. E. (1992). Learners as information processors: Legacies and limitations of educational psychology’s second metaphor. Educational Psychologist, 31(3/4), 151-161.
Newell, A., & Simon, H. A. (1972). Human problem solving. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Oliva, J. M. (2003). The structural coherence of students’ conceptions in mechanics and conceptual change. International Journal of Science Education, 25(5), 539-561.
Rips, L. J. (1999). Human modes of quantificational reasoning. In: S.B. Cooper & J.K. Truss (Eds.), Models and computability (pp. 353-365). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Schunk, D. H. (2000). Learning theories: An educational perspective (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
She, H. C., Cheng, M. T., Li, T. W., Wang, C. Y., Chiu, H. T., Lee, P. Z., ... & Chuang, M. H. (2012). Web-based undergraduate chemistry problem-solving: The interplay of task performance, domain knowledge and web-searching strategies. Computers & Education, 59(2), 750-761.
Simon, D. P. (1978). Information processing theory of human problem solving. In D. Estes (Ed.), Handbook of learning and cognitive process (pp. 271-295). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Sonnleitner, P., Keller, U., Martin, R., & Brunner, M. (2013). Students’ complex problem-solving abilities: Their structure and relations to reasoning ability and educational success. Intelligence, 41(5), 289-305.
Tao, P. (2001). Confronting students with multiple solutions to qualitative physics problems. Physics Education, 36(2), 135-139.
Van Merrienboer, J. J. G., Kirschner, P. A., & Kester, L. (2003). Taking the load of a learner’s mind: Instructional design for complex learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 5-13.
Voss, J. F., Greene, T. R., Post, T. A., & Penner, B. C. (1983). Problem solving skill in the social sciences. In G.H. Bower (Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation: Advances in research and theory (Vol. 17, pp. 165-213). New York, NY: Academic Press.
Wang, M., Wu, B., Chen, N. S., & Spector, J. M. (2013). Connecting problem-solving and knowledge-construction processes in a visualization-based learning environment. Computers & Education, 68, 293-306.
Wang, Y., & Chiew, V. (2010). On the cognitive process of human problem solving. Cognitive Systems Research, 11(1), 81-92.
Wason, P., & Johnson-Laird, P. (1972). Psychology of reasoning: Structure and content. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Watts, M. (1994). Problem Solving in Science and Technology: Extending Good Classroom Practice. London, England: D. Fulton Publishers.
Yu, W. F., She, H. C., & Lee, Y. M. (2010). The effects of Web‐based/non‐Web‐based problem‐solving instruction and high/low achievement on students’ problem‐solving ability and biology achievement. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 47(2), 187-199.

How to cite this article

APA

Cheng, S.-C., She, H.-C., & Huang, L.-Y. (2018). The Impact of Problem-Solving Instruction on Middle School Students’ Physical Science Learning: Interplays of Knowledge, Reasoning, and Problem Solving. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 14(3), 731-743. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80902

Vancouver

Cheng SC, She HC, Huang LY. The Impact of Problem-Solving Instruction on Middle School Students’ Physical Science Learning: Interplays of Knowledge, Reasoning, and Problem Solving. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2018;14(3):731-43. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80902

AMA

Cheng SC, She HC, Huang LY. The Impact of Problem-Solving Instruction on Middle School Students’ Physical Science Learning: Interplays of Knowledge, Reasoning, and Problem Solving. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2018;14(3), 731-743. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80902

Chicago

Cheng, Shu-Chuan, Hsiao-Ching She, and Li-Yu Huang. "The Impact of Problem-Solving Instruction on Middle School Students’ Physical Science Learning: Interplays of Knowledge, Reasoning, and Problem Solving". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2018 14 no. 3 (2018): 731-743. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80902

Harvard

Cheng, S.-C., She, H.-C., and Huang, L.-Y. (2018). The Impact of Problem-Solving Instruction on Middle School Students’ Physical Science Learning: Interplays of Knowledge, Reasoning, and Problem Solving. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 14(3), pp. 731-743. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80902

MLA

Cheng, Shu-Chuan et al. "The Impact of Problem-Solving Instruction on Middle School Students’ Physical Science Learning: Interplays of Knowledge, Reasoning, and Problem Solving". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 14, no. 3, 2018, pp. 731-743. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80902