Problem solving is a highly valued skill in chemistry. Courses within this discipline place a substantial emphasis on problem-solving performance and tend to weigh such performance heavily in assessments of learning. Researchers have dedicated considerable effort investigating individual factors that influence problem-solving performance. The…

There is no agreement about the robustness of intuitive representations of the circulatory system and their susceptibility to change by instruction. In this paper, we analyse to what extent students with varying degrees of biology instruction and different ages (High School Health Science and Social Science students and first and final year…

Discussed is the performance of college students on the task of solving chemistry problems involving Lewis structures. Difficulty of the task and of individual problems is described. A taxonomy of skills associated with Lewis structures is presented. (CW)

Reports on the use of videotape recordings illustrating experienced problem solvers working out solutions to typical introductory physics problems. Includes brief summaries of student response to the recordings. (SK)

Examined were the relationships between three qualities: students' knowledge of chemical terms, the relationships they recognize between these terms, and their achievement. Used were an explanation test, an achievement test, and a connectivity test. Results indicated knowledge of terms was a necessary, but not sufficient, prerequisite for…

Examined the effects of an instructional method used to remedy students' difficulties caused by fragmented and incorrectly interpreted knowledge. Described the method using explicit concept-interpretation procedures. Finds that the method helped to revise students' deficient prior knowledge about acceleration, and helped them to interpret it…

The IMMEX (Interactive Multi-Media Exercises) Web-based problem set platform enables the online delivery of complex, multimedia simulations, the rapid collection of student performance data, and has already been used in several genetic simulations. The next step is the use of these data to understand and improve student learning in a formative…

This investigation focuses upon the question of: (1) how naive subjects organize and represent knowledge when solving problems; (2) how previous experience of a novice is used in solving a problem; (3) what kinds of information and knowledge are sought as well as overlooked by novices when solving problems; (4) what kinds of strategies novices…