Abstract:
This paper is a comparison of the knowledge of problem solving of an average group of Year 5 students and a group of Year 5 students judged to be academically gifted. There were 25 students in the group of average problem solvers and 21 students in the gifted group.
Each student participated in an interview about their knowledge of problem solving; a problem solving task; a self-report of their success on the problem solving task and a rating of their ability to be a good problem solver in six curriculum areas.
Each session was audio and videotaped. Verbal protocols were coded and analysed. The results were classified according to a problem solving framework which was devised from the psychological literature.
The analyses revealed similarities between the groups. These were:
• consideration of problem solving as specific to particular to curriculum areas;
• ratings of ability to solve problems in different curriculum areas, and
• the degree to which self-management was cited explicitly and employed implicitly.
The analyses revealed differences in the problem solving knowledge and behaviours of the two groups. These areas of difference were:
• the completeness of problem solving knowledge expressed in the interview;
• strategies outlined for coping with difficulty inn problem solving;
• confidence in solving schoolyard social problems (bullying);
• attributions for success or failure on the problem solving task;
• the amount of review shown when completing the problem solving task, and
• the accuracy of judgement expressed by the students when asked if they had solved the problem.
Each student participated in an interview about their knowledge of problem solving; a problem solving task; a self-report of their success on the problem solving task and a rating of their ability to be a good problem solver in six curriculum areas.
Each session was audio and videotaped. Verbal protocols were coded and analysed. The results were classified according to a problem solving framework which was devised from the psychological literature.
The analyses revealed similarities between the groups. These were:
• consideration of problem solving as specific to particular to curriculum areas;
• ratings of ability to solve problems in different curriculum areas, and
• the degree to which self-management was cited explicitly and employed implicitly.
The analyses revealed differences in the problem solving knowledge and behaviours of the two groups. These areas of difference were:
• the completeness of problem solving knowledge expressed in the interview;
• strategies outlined for coping with difficulty inn problem solving;
• confidence in solving schoolyard social problems (bullying);
• attributions for success or failure on the problem solving task;
• the amount of review shown when completing the problem solving task, and
• the accuracy of judgement expressed by the students when asked if they had solved the problem.