Resource Letter RPS-1: Research in problem solving

@article{Hsu2004ResourceLR,
  title={Resource Letter RPS-1: Research in problem solving},
  author={Leonardo Hsu and Eric Brewe and Thomas M. Foster and Kathleen A. Harper},
  journal={American Journal of Physics},
  year={2004},
  volume={72},
  pages={1147-1156}
}
This Resource Letter provides a guide to the literature on research in problem solving, especially in physics. The references were compiled with two audiences in mind: physicists who are (or might become) engaged in research on problem solving, and physics instructors who are interested in using research results to improve their students’ learning of problem solving. In addition to general references, journal articles and books are cited for the following topics: cognitive aspects of problem… 
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143 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
5
Background Citations
47
Methods Citations
2
Results Citations
2

143 Citations

Helping Students Become Proficient Problem Solvers Part I: A Brief Review

Understanding issues involved in expertise in physics problem solving is important for helping students become good problem solvers. In part 1 of this article, we summarize the research on problem…

Examining problem solving in physics-intensive Ph.D. research

Problem-solving strategies learned by physics undergraduates should prepare them for real-world contexts as they transition from students to professionals. Yet, graduate students in physics-intensive…

An Overview of Problem Solving Studies in Physics Education.

Education policies today aim to raise individuals with 21st Century skills considered as a universal necessity and problem-solving skill is the one of the skills that have emerged as a requirement of…

Problem Solving: Physics Modeling-Based Interactive Engagement

Students' problemsolving ability during three physics proble msolving protocols phases is examined in a calculusbased introductory physics course based on the matter and interactions curriculum of Chabay & Sherwood (2002) at a large state engineering and science university in the USA.

Why students still can't solve physics problems after solving over 2000 problems

This study investigates the belief that solving a large number of physics problems helps students better learn physics. We investigated the number of problems solved, student confidence in solving…

How Can We Improve Problem Solving in Undergraduate Biology? Applying Lessons from 30 Years of Physics Education Research

Solving authentic, complex biology problems requires many of the same skills that practicing physicists and biologists use in representing problems, seeking relationships, making predictions, and verifying or checking solutions, and it is asserted that acquiring these skills can help biology students become competent problem solvers.

Students' conceptual performance on synthesis physics problems with varying mathematical complexity

The results indicate that mathematical complexity does not impact students’ conceptual performance on the sequential tasks, and for the simultaneous problems, mathematical complexity negatively influences the students' conceptual performance.

Student views of similarity between math and physics problems

It is commonly known that students have difficulty connecting the techniques they learn in math classes with necessary steps for solving physics problems. In this study, introductory-level physics…

Elements of a Cognitive Model of Physics Problem Solving: Epistemic Games.

Although much is known about the differences between expert and novice problem solvers, knowledge of those differences typically does not provide enough detail to help instructors understand why some…

Problem-Solving Rubrics Revisited: Attending to the Blending of Informal Conceptual and Formal Mathematical Reasoning.

Much research in engineering and physics education has focused on improving students' problem-solving skills. This research has led to the development of step-by-step problem-solving strategies and…
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References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 10 REFERENCES

Promoting skilled problem‐solving behavior among beginning physics students

Beginning physics students were constrained to analyze mechanics problems according to a hierarchical scheme that integrated concepts, principles, and procedures. After five 1-hour sessions students…

Linking factual and procedural knowledge in solving science problems: A case study in a thermodynamics course

This article describes how the necessary heuristics and strategic knowledge were built into the remake of a conventional thermodynamics course, using the Gal'perin theory of stage-by-stage formation of mental actions and Landa's description of the “through” systematization of knowledge.

Categorization and Representation of Physics Problems by Experts and Novices

Results from sorting tasks and protocols reveal that experts and novices begin their problem representations with specifiably different problem categories, and completion of the representations depends on the knowledge associated with the categories.

Teaching problem solving through cooperative grouping. Part 2: Designing problems and structuring groups

A supportive environment based on cooperative grouping was developed to foster students’ learning of an effective problem‐solving strategy. Experiments to adapt the technique of cooperative grouping…

Cognition of learning physics

Experienced physicists solve even simple textbook problems in ways that are very different form the solutions produced by beginning students. This paper describes these differences using a…

Comparison of Student Performance Using Web and Paper-Based Homework in College-Level Physics

Homework gives students an opportunity to practice important college-level physics skills. A switch to Web-based homework alters the nature of feedback received, potentially changing the pedagogical…

The initial knowledge state of college physics students

An instrument to assess the basic knowledge state of students taking a first course in physics has been designed and validated. Measurements with the instrument show that the student’s initial…

The magical number seven plus or minus two: some limits on our capacity for processing information.

The theory provides us with a yardstick for calibrating the authors' stimulus materials and for measuring the performance of their subjects, and the concepts and measures provided by the theory provide a quantitative way of getting at some of these questions.

Experiment problems for electricity and magnetism

We describe problems for electricity and magnetism that are presented in the form of experiments—called experiment problems. The problems can be used in lectures or in laboratories in introductory…

Educational uses of the PLATO computer system.