Unscaffolded problem-solving before receiving instruction can give students opportunities to entertain their exploratory hypotheses at the expense of experiencing initial failures. Prior literature has argued for the efficacy of such preparatory activities in preparing students to learn from instruction. Despite growing understanding of the…

Students' problem-solving success depends on more than their knowledge and abilities. One factor that may play a role is the teacher's expectations of students. The current study focused on how a teacher's explicitly-stated expectations influence students' ability to learn from corrective feedback during problem solving. On the one hand, setting…

In this explorative study, we investigate how sequences of behaviour are related to success or failure in complex problem-solving (CPS). To this end, we analysed log data from two different tasks of the problem-solving assessment of the Programme for International Student Assessment 2012 study (n = 30,098 students). We first coded every…

Theorists suggest that collaboration is a key aspect in online, inquiry-based learning. However, research finds that meaningful interaction is challenging, and learners struggle to sustain interaction. One way to scaffold collaborative problem-solving is through case libraries; however, few studies have explored how the type of experience depicted…

Learning and performance are not always commensurable. Conditions that maximize performance in the initial learning may not maximize learning in the longer term. I exploit this incommensurability to theoretically and empirically interrogate four possibilities for design: productive success, productive failure, unproductive success, and…

Solving complex, ill-structured problems may be effectively supported by case-based reasoning through case libraries that provide just-in-time domain-specific principles in the form of stories. The cases not only articulate previous experiences of practitioners, but also serve as problem-solving narratives from which learners can acquire meaning.…

Achieving success takes hard work and perseverance, but another crucial ingredient is the ability to learn from failure. Instructors must encourage students to make mistakes within the classroom so they will attempt great things outside it. This is where the freedom of trial and error should be championed, to be able to hone students' skills so…

The focus of this study is on the role of achievement goals in students' persistence. The authors administered 5 puzzles to 96 college students: 4 unsolvable and 1 relatively easy (acting as a hope probe). They examined whether and how persistence may deteriorate as a function of failing the puzzles, as well as whether and how persistence may…

While many job enrichment programs fail, a program called Analytical Trouble Shooting has been successful in training people to increase their problem-solving capabilities and to communicate readily with persons in other areas and on different levels. (AG)

A technique of using puzzle and problem solving to overcome the failure syndrome is discussed. (JM)

Success and failure were experimentally induced by means of a puzzle task, and subjects were then required to perform two dependent tasks from which outerdirectedness was inferred. Results supported the hypothesis that children shift from an outerdirected to an interdirected problem-solving style as age increases. (Author)

Frustration has been primarily investigated in relation to aggressive behaviors, but may elicit other behaviors depending on the responses available to the individual. To test the effects of task frustration and task success on subsequent group behavior, college women (N=80) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: task success, task…

Differences between the planning and execution of two 1911-12 polar expeditions transcend matters of aims and resources. Scott's planning approach was deterministic, whereas Amundsen's was deliberative, resolving each problem in its practical, human context. Like Scott's expedition, current U.S. and British attempts to improve education practice…

Researchers have suggested two models of risk preference to account for subjects' preference for tasks of moderate difficulty. The affective model proposes that pride of success and shame of failure are responsible for the observed preference. The cognitive model suggests preference for tasks of moderate difficulty because they are the most…