This study compared the problem-solving skills required for solving well-structured problems and ill-structured problems in the context of an open-ended, multimedia problem-solving environment in astronomy.Two sets of open-ended questions assessed students' abilities for solving wellstructured and ill-structured problems. Generalized, rubric scoring systems were developed for assessing problem-solving skills. Instruments were also developed and administered to assess cognitive and affective predictors of problem-solving performance. By regressing the scores on the cognitive and affective predictors onto students' scores on the well-structured and ill-structured problems, we concluded that solving well-structured and ill-structured problems require different component skills. Domain knowledge and justification skills were significant predictors of well-structured problem-solving scores, whereas illstructured problem-solving scores were significantly predicted by domain knowledge, justification skills, science attitudes, and regulation of cognition. Implications for problem solving in science education are presented. ß
Twenty-eight students (aged 9 to 17) freely explored a science Web site structured either in an outline (linear) format or "puzzle" (non-linear) format for 2.5 hours. Subjects then engaged in tasks involving locational memory and informational recall. The results indicate that presence of metacognitive skills was a necessary but not sufficient condition for learning in hypermedia environments; the navigational structure of the Web site also was important. Metacognitive skill (as measured by the Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (Jr. MAI) (Sperling, Howard, Miller, & Murphy, 2002) and the How I Study Questionnaire (HISP) (Fortunato, Hecht, Tittle, & Alvarez, 1991) was not a significant predictor of measures of retention within an outline structure (where the conventional structure did not stimulate metacognitive knowledge), while metacognition was a significant predictor of *This research was conducted while the first author was a Summer Research Fellow at NASA Classroom of the Future. 77 Ó 2004, Baywood Publishing Co., Inc.informational recall within the puzzle structure (which required active metacognitive knowledge to make meaning within the unfamiliar structure). The results point to the need for instructional designers to consider the structure of Web sites, with particular emphasis on the use of recognizable conventions, in order to reduce the metacognitive demands upon working memory involved in deciphering the structure.
As part of the Taste of Computing project, the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) instructional model has been expanded to many high schools in the Chicago Public Schools system. We report on initial outcomes showing that students value the ECS course experience, resulting in increased awareness of and interest in the field of computer science. We compare these results by race and gender. The data provide a good basis for exploring the impact of meaningful computer science instruction on students from groups underrepresented in computing; of several hundred students surveyed, nearly half were female, and over half were Hispanic or African-American.
Sternberg's (1985) In this study, we sought to examine the triarchic theory of intelligence (Sternberg, 1985(Sternberg, , 1996(Sternberg, , 1997 in the context of a computer-based inquiry learning environment. Sternberg's theory describes three types of intellectual abilities: analytic, creative, and practical. According to Sternberg, these abilities are interdependent constructs, and every student demonstrates a distinct blend of strengths in one, two, or all three triarchic ability categories.Analytic abilities are those needed to analyze, evaluate, explain, and compare or contrast. The stereotype for students high in analytic abilities is that of the "good student"-that is, such students have been found to excel at the kinds of tasks fostered and reinforced within the United States school system (Sternberg, 1997(Sternberg, , 1998a. Creative abilities are those involved in creating, designing, discovering, or inventing. Creative thinking entails applying problem-solving processes to relatively novel and unfamiliar problems. Students with dominant creative abilities are valued for being able to generate new ideas. Practical abilities are those needed to utilize, implement, and apply problem-solving processes to concrete and relatively familiar everyday problems. Practical students are motivated by, and appreciative of knowledge they can take with them when they leave the classroom. Students with strong practical abilities are considered "street smart"-able to quickly adapt to and shape their environment to achieve a concrete goal.The research of Sternberg and colleagues has focused on testing new models of instruction ETR&D, Vol. 49, No. 4, 2001, pp. 49-69 ISSN 1042-1629 49 that integrate and utilize triarchic theory. A review of this research revealed that four types of instructional models have been examined: (a) traditional instruction, (b) traditional instruction with training in adaptive learning strategies, (c) matched instruction, and (d) triarchic instruction. Each of these instructional models is described below.Traditional instruction. Sternberg asserts that students with strong analytic abilities excel in traditional settings because they are primarily held accountable for declarative-type knowledge and memorization (Sternberg, 1997(Sternberg, , 1998a. The converse is also maintained. Students' creative or practical abilities are not reinforced or even regarded as useful in traditional instruction (Gardner, Krechevsky, Sternberg, & Okagaki, 1994;Sternberg, 1997Sternberg, , 1998aSternberg & Spear-Swerling, 1996;Sternberg, Wagner, Williams, & Horvath, 1995;Sternberg & Williams, 1997). In the research of Sternberg and colleagues, traditional instruction is often used as the comparison or control for testing new instructional models (e.g., Sternberg, 1997Sternberg, , 1998aSternberg & Clinkenbeard, 1995;Sternberg, Ferrari, Clinkenbeard, & Grigorenko, 1996).Traditional instruction with training in adaptive learning strategies. Research has shown generally positive results regarding training in adaptive lea...
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