The Effect of Problem-Solving Video Games on the Science Reasoning Skills of College Students

As the world continues to rapidly change, students are faced with the need to develop flexible skills, such as science reasoning that will help them thrive in the new knowledge economy. Prensky (2001), Gee (2003), and Van Eck (2007) have all suggested that the way to engage learners and teach them the necessary skills is through digital games, but empirical studies focusing on popular games are scant. One way digital games, especially video games, could potentially be useful if there were a flexible and inexpensive method a student could use at their convenience to improve selected science reasoning skills. Problem-solving video games, which require the use of reasoning and problem solving to answer a variety of cognitive challenges could be a promising method to improve selected science reasoning skills. Using think-aloud protocols and interviews, a qualitative study was carried out with a small sample of college students to examine what impact two popular video games, Professor Layton and the Curious Village and Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, had on specific science reasoning skills. The subject classified as an expert in both gaming and reasoning tended to use more higher order thinking and reasoning skills than the novice reasoners. Based on the assessments, the science reasoning of college students did not improve during the course of game play. Similar to earlier studies, students tended to use trial and error as their primary method of solving the various puzzles in the game and additionally did not recognize when to use the appropriate reasoning skill to solve a puzzle, such as proportional reasoning

Why We Teach Mathematics to Every Student: Determining Impact of Mathematics on Problem Solving and Logical Reasoning Skills

The purpose of this paper is to dissect why it is important to teach mathematics to every student, even if the student does not plan on pursuing mathematics in his or her career. This paper will describe and test various reasons why mathematics is taught to every student but it will focus on math as a way to help develop and improve problem-solving and logical reasoning skills. An experiment was conducted on a random sample of fourteen University of Akron students who were measured on their problem-solving abilities and critical thinking through playing two games. These students were then compared to the other participants with regard to the level of math courses they have taken and how well they did on the games. The results show that students who have taken high level math courses, on average, were more successful (won more with less turns) in both games. This draws a correlation between taking math courses and an increase in a student’s critical thinking and logical reasoning skills, skills that are important in a wide variety of careers and circumstances

Incorporating Technology in Mathematics Education: A Suite of E-Activities for the Modem Mathematics Classroom

National studies indicate major deficiencies in students\u27 understanding of mathematics. Research suggests that students tend to view mathematics as a set of computational rules rather than a process of discovery and a tool for problem-solving. Most students fail to grasp the concepts behind the computations. Technology provides a partial solution to this problem. Over the past decade, computers have emerged as a powerful tool in education. Computers place the control of action in the learning process with the student. They allow students to experiment with, explore, and discover mathematics at their own pace. With computers, students can consider more examples than are possible with a pencil and paper. The graphic capability of computers aids students in concept visualization; the computational capacity allows them to focus on concepts while the computer executes the tedious computations. The purpose of this thesis is to facilitate the effective use of computers in mathematics education. The primary component of this thesis is a CD-ROM containing a suite of computer manipulatives intended for use in the mathematics classroom. An explanation of the manipulatives accompanies the CD-ROM, as does a description of the creation process

Scientific Reasoning and Achievement in a High School English Course

The hypothetical-deductive pattern of reasoning, an advanced reasoning model common to science, can be effectively transferred to the study of English and improve both English usage and reasoning skills. Though educators in the United States say that they already are teaching thinking and that the physical sciences and mathematics offer opportunities for learning higher-order reasoning skills, most observers agree that the goal of teaching students how to think has not been fulfilled. The reasons are varied. Perhaps the most serious deficiency is that teachers have never had a clear notion of just what advanced reasoning is--and just what to do to stimulate its development in students. My own search for effective ways to promote critical thinking during thirty years as a high school English teacher grew out of dissatisfaction with what was offered by various authors representing the humanities and behavioral and social sciences. Guided by my study of the paranormal and my association with college professors experimenting with various theories of intellectual devdopment, including those of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (known for his research of thought processes in children), I turned to the physical sciences for answers. Emphasizing the hypothetical-deductive pattern of reasoning in teaching critical thinking appeared feasible. So by means of a Piagetian-based, systematic instructional theory developed by Anton E. Lawson of Arizona State University, I used this reasoning model in my twelfth-grade English course at Grand Island Senior High in Grand Island, Nebraska, from 1982 to 1991. This reasoning model, common to science, can be effectivdy transferred to the field of English (and likely to other curriculum areas, as well as to everyday life); an academic discipline such as English can be used to help students develop higher-order thinking skills of a hypothetical-deductive nature