IMPLEMENTING INSTRUCTION TO IMPROVE THE PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITIES OF GENERAL CHEMISTRY STUDENTS

DAVID V FRANK, Purdue University

Abstract

The focus of this study was helping freshman chemistry students solve problems. Problem solving may be loosely defined as "what you do when you don't know what to do." This definition required an emphasis on general problem-solving skills. A problem-solving method of instruction was designed for use in chemistry recitation classes. This experimental method involved the use of novel problems during class and students working in small groups to solve these problems. Normal recitation instruction is a teacher-directed review of homework problems already solved by the students. Two graduate students each taught a control and an experimental recitation class for one semester. An analysis of the classroom examination results of the 82 students in these four classes showed that students in the experimental sections scored significantly higher than the control students. Experimental students also significantly outscored the control students even when only the problems on the four examinations were considered. Twenty-nine students from these four sections were randomly chosen for a think-aloud interview. Each student was asked to solve five problems covering different content areas of the course. A coding form which contained representation variables, heuristics, and other general problem-solving skills was used to analyze the interviews. The experimental students formed more generalizable representations, worked towards an inaccurate goal more often, were more persistent, and evaluated their work more frequently. There was no significant difference between the experimental and control students on use of heuristics. The interview transcripts were also analyzed qualitatively. The successful problem solvers differed from the unsuccessful students in how they used their knowledge and how they formed their representations. Furthermore, when the instruction in the lecture portion of the course emphasized concepts rather than isolated equations, the students were more likely to use reasoning processes rather than recall when they were solving problems.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

Science education|Educational psychology

COinS