Cognitive Structures of Good and Poor Novice Problem Solvers in Physics

The way knowledge is organized in memory is generally expected to relate to the degree of success in problem solving. In the present study, we investigated whether good novice problem solvers have their knowledge arranged around problem types to a greater extent than poor problem solvers have. In the subject of physics (electricity and magnetism), 12 problem types were distinguished according to their underlying physics principles. For each problem type, a set of elements of knowledge containing characteristics of the problem situation, declarative knowledge, and procedural knowledge was constructed. All of the resulting 65 elements were printed on cards, and first-year university students in physics ( N = 47) were asked to sort these cards into coherent piles shortly after they had taken an examination on electricity and magnetism. Essentially, good novice problem solvers sorted the cards according to problem types; the sorting by the poor problem solvers seemed to be determined to a greater extent by the surface characteristics of the elements. We concluded than an organization of knowledge around problem types might be highly conducive to good performance in problem solving by novice problem solvers

Types and qualities of knowledge

Explores the general importance of the concepts of type and quality of knowledge for theory, research and practice in the field of learning and instruction. Declarative and procedural knowledge as popular examples; Characteristics; Levels

Knowledge of problem situations in physics: A comparison of good and poor novice problem solvers

In this study we examined models of problem situations in the memory of good and poor novice students. Subjects were shown very briefly descriptions of physics problems, and after each exposure they were asked to reconstruct the given problem. The short exposure time forces students to rely on models of problem situations in memory for giving reconstructions. Presentation of situations, and reconstructions asked for, varied in modality (words, figures, or combinations). For a number of situations subjects were asked, after they had given a reconstruction, to write down information they thought necessary for solving the problems. Results showed that all students reconstructed important information better than less important information, so both good and poor students seem to have models of problem situations at their disposal. There were, however, also differences between the two groups. First, good students gave a better reconstruction of the question than weak students did. Second, when subjects were requested to change modality in reconstruction (from figure to words or vice versa), good students tended to reconstruct important information better than the weak students. Finally, good students outperformed the weak group in generating information concerning the solution of the proble

Studying Physics Texts: Differences in Study Processes Between Good and Poor Performers

Evaluates the study processes between good and poor classroom performers. Classification of the language used; Quality of the study processes; Interest on procedural and situational knowledge

On the quality of knowledge in the field of electricity and magnetism

Problem solving in physics requires a certain quantity of knowledge of the subject matter: principles, procedures, etc. In addition, the problem solver must be able to access these principles and procedures in a given situation. Investigations have shown that failure in problem solving is often caused by lack of availability of knowledge, and also that availability is closely related to the organization of knowledge in memory. Opinions differ, however, on whether the optimal form of this organization should be centered around problem types or arranged in a hierarchical way. In this study two concrete examples of knowledge structures in the field of electricity and magnetism are compared. An experiment is also described, in which the actual knowledge structure of beginning students was studied. The outcome indicates that students with good results in problem solving organize their knowledge more in accordance with problem types than do students with poor results. The results of the experiment are discussed in the light of the two knowledge structures described. The possible role of these structures in physics teaching is treated in the final paragrap

Situational knowledge in physics: The case of electrodynamics

Major difficulties for a novice physics problem solver are how to interpret new problems and how to combine information given in the problem with information already known. A domain expert, by contrast, has the knowledge to take full advantage of problem features at a glance. It takes a long period of practice to acquire such situational knowledge, and it would be desirable for this to be taught more effectively. As a first step, this requires information on how situational knowledge differs across individuals of different competence levels. Related research on mental models and problem representations does not give a direct view on the knowledge subjects have of situations before being confronted with the problem. To assess situational knowledge more directly, we asked participants to respond to physics formulas (from the field of electrodynamics) by describing relevant problem situations. We compared physics problem descriptions by experts (n = 6) and by proficient (n = 6) and less proficient (n = 6) novices. We analyzed the situations that were described at the levels of words, sentences, and complete descriptions. Results indicate that competence is related to the structure of problem situations rather than the use of particular concepts, and that the differences in the use of multiple representations are more prominent than differences in the use of one specific kind of representation. Results also indicate that the differences between experts and novices are along different dimensions than the differences between more and less proficient novices. Implications for teaching are discussed