TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kistner, Saskia
A1  - Burns, Bruce D.
A1  - Vollmeyer, Regina
A1  - Kortenkamp, Ulrich
T1  - The importance of understanding: Model space moderates goal specificity effects
JF  - The quarterly journal of experimental psychology
N2  - The three-space theory of problem solving predicts that the quality of a learner's model and the goal specificity of a task interact on knowledge acquisition. In Experiment 1 participants used a computer simulation of a lever system to learn about torques. They either had to test hypotheses (nonspecific goal), or to produce given values for variables (specific goal). In the good- but not in the poor-model condition they saw torque depicted as an area. Results revealed the predicted interaction. A nonspecific goal only resulted in better learning when a good model of torques was provided. In Experiment 2 participants learned to manipulate the inputs of a system to control its outputs. A nonspecific goal to explore the system helped performance when compared to a specific goal to reach certain values when participants were given a good model, but not when given a poor model that suggested the wrong hypothesis space. Our findings support the three-space theory. They emphasize the importance of understanding for problem solving and stress the need to study underlying processes.
KW  - Goal specificity
KW  - Problem solving
KW  - Three-space theory
KW  - Scientific discovery learning
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1080/17470218.2015.1076865
SN  - 1747-0218
SN  - 1747-0226
VL  - 69
SP  - 1179
EP  - 1196
PB  - Optical Society of America
CY  - Abingdon
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ragonis, Noa
T1  - Problem-solving strategies must be taught implicitly
JF  - Commentarii informaticae didacticae : (CID)
N2  - Problem solving is one of the central activities performed by computer scientists as well as by computer science learners. Whereas the teaching of algorithms and programming languages is usually well structured within a curriculum, the development of learners’ problem-solving skills is largely implicit and less structured. Students at all levels often face difficulties in problem analysis and solution construction. The basic assumption of the workshop is that without some formal instruction on effective strategies, even the most inventive learner may resort to unproductive trial-and-error problemsolving processes. Hence, it is important to teach problem-solving strategies and to guide teachers on how to teach their pupils this cognitive tool. Computer science educators should be aware of the difficulties and acquire appropriate pedagogical tools to help their learners gain and experience problem-solving skills.
KW  - Problem solving
KW  - Problem solving strategies
KW  - Teaching problem solving strategies
Y1  - 2013
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-64645
SN  - 1868-0844
SN  - 2191-1940
IS  - 6
SP  - 155
EP  - 157
PB  - Universitätsverlag Potsdam
CY  - Potsdam
ER  -