Representations in problem solving in science: Directions for practice (original) (raw)
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In physics and chemistry, the development of problem-solving skills is necessary to become an expert. A simple cognitive model to analyse such development is proposed and tested. An exploratory research was conducted with expert professors and students in initial and advanced years. A think aloud procedure was used to obtain relevant data while the participants tried to solve undefined, open problems. Solving these problems required a particular skill representative of expertise: modelling reality using science. More than 1350 solving actions were collected and related to the mental representations elaborated, developed and inter-related by solvers. The proposed model was able to account for expert-novice differences in terms of the respective distributions of solving actions among the mental representations. Large differences appeared in the mental representation of Conceptual scientific Model. In addition, advanced and initial students showed similar and significant averages of un...
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This descriptive quantitative study aims to measure secondary year 4 students' problem solving in chemistry. A total of 200 students from four schools in one district were chosen as respondents in this study. Data were obtained through a set of test which measured "Levels of Conceptual Knowledge and Procedural Knowledge". The findings showed that the level of conceptual knowledge and procedural knowledge was weak. The results also indicated that there was a moderate correlation between problem solving based on conceptual and procedural knowledge. Accordingly, science teaching and learning strategies were presented to raise the level of conceptual and procedural knowledge among students.