In this report, we address the following questions: What aspects of information do preservice elementary teachers rely on when performing inductive reasoning? What contexts enable them to perceive the inherent invariant relationships from a finite sample and, thus, formulate viable generalizations? To what extent are they able to justify inductive…

This paper presents the results of qualitative analyses that were designed to assess the validity of teachers' responses to items that measure topic coverage in mathematics and language arts. Using data from 12 "think-aloud" interviews and drawing on psychological theory about how respondents answer survey items, this research explored a number of…

Studies revision skills of grades 5-6 students asked to improve expository text written by other students by giving explicit evaluations, diagnoses, and suggestions. Supplements quantitative data with qualitative analysis of revision activities. Specifies in the model important cognitive steps in revision: compare, diagnose, and operate. Concludes…

A model of information processing is used in conjunction with two verbal protocol elicitation formats--the think aloud model and the retrospective questionnaire--to shed light on the mental processes involved in a learner's performance on the cloze. Results suggest the cloze is more suitable for learners of higher language ability, because it is…

Two studies examined the viability of assessing reading strategies using a think-aloud protocol combined with latent semantic analysis (LSA). Findings demonstrated that the responses of less-skilled readers semantically overlapped more with focal sentences than with causal antecedent sentences, whereas skilled readers' responses overlapped with…

A protocol analysis of second language (L2) writing of adult speakers of Japanese, English, and Spanish observed how language switching (first language (L1) switching use in L2 writing) was affected by L2 proficiency, task difficulty, and language group. Less proficient L2 learners switched to their L1 more frequently than more advanced learners,…

A three-part training procedure was developed to adapt thinking-aloud writing protocols (TAWPs) for use with children as verbal reports of their audience awareness. Four nine-year olds wrote letters while producing TAWPs. Children know that audience factors affect writers' decisions, but they do not use this awareness when making writing…

Attaining the insight needed to solve the Mutilated Checkerboard problem, which requires discovery of an effective problem representation (EPR), is described. Performance on insight problems can be predicted from the availability of generators and constraints in the search for an EPR. Data for 23 undergraduates were analyzed. (TJH)

Qualitative differences between 24 expert teachers and 24 novice teachers in think-aloud protocols related to solving classroom discipline problems were investigated. Results suggest that expert teachers have procedural plans for solving discipline problems and are able to put more attention into defining the problem than are novice teachers. (SLD)

Presented is an analysis of think-aloud protocols of graduate students solving several different tasks in organic chemistry. The systems used by these subjects were classified. It was reported that the methodological system was most often used. (CW)

Problem solving by example is an intermediate step toward mastering problem-solving heuristics. Discussed are problem-solving processes by using two problem examples. Emphasized are heuristics cataloging in a problem-solving log, and approaches to solutions, not the solutions themselves. (YP)

Explains the differences between successful and unsuccessful problem solvers' exploration of a problem, translation of information into different forms, approach to devising and executing a plan, and rechecking work. (RT)

Examines the development of students' understandings about fractions during six weeks of instruction. Reports that all students possessed informal knowledge disconnected from their knowledge of fraction symbols and procedures and that knowledge of rote procedures often interfered with students' attempts to build on their informal knowledge.…

Reviewed are 15 studies on cognitive style and problem solving in science education. The effects of problem context, problem type, and three kinds of cognitive style on subjects' abilities to encounter and solve problems are investigated. Three protocols of the subjects' encountering activities are provided. (YP)

Examines successful/unsuccessful distinctions between novices and experts in problem solving in terms of genetic knowledge, use of production rules, strategy selection, use of critical cues, use of logic, understanding of probability, and the thinking process itself. Suggests five implications for genetics instruction and provides three problems…