Modeling a Theoretical Construct on Pupils’ Difficulties in Problem Solving

Abstract

The objective of this work was the theoretical modeling of a construct based on teaching practice about the perception that pupils have of difficulties in problem solving (PS) in experimental sciences, specifically physics, to predict pupil performance in PS. The research was carried out with an incidental sample of second year of secondary education pupils, of 13 to 14 years in age. The pupils and their teachers were involved in a project in which PS, classroom inquiry, and Hooke’s law were considered to be central. The information collection instrument was a Likert type questionnaire to investigate the various difficulties perceived by the pupils (Knowledge, Trust, Path, Interest,…) in the problem-solving processes applying Hooke’s law. A theoretical model was estimated and not rejected that involved only one factor (a PS factor), with all of its variables strongly interrelated and a set of constraints represented by covariances between theoretical hidden variables. This model is a starting point from which to understand how pupils at this level perceive PS in experimental sciences.

Identification of Prospective Physics Teacher’s Problem Solving Skills: A Study on Simple Electrical Circuits Topic

“…In the last decade, enhancing students' problem-solving skills has been extensively discussed and investigated. In general, the research on this topic has been conducted on the primary (Yanjie Song 2018; Gu et al 2015), secondary (De Almeida, Salvador, and Costa 2014;Vázquez-Bernal and Jiménez-Pérez 2023;Lee and Byun 2022), and higher education levels (Ceberio, Almudí, and Franco 2016;Yuliati, Riantoni, and Mufti 2018;Youngwook Song 2018;Park 2022;Kuk and Ryu 2022;Liu, Gu, and Xu 2023;Maries 2023). In specific, the available studies have examined the computer-based problem-solving (Pol et al, 2008), integration between learning and representation strategy (De Cock, 2012), strategy and assessment (Docktor et al 2016;Yuliati, Riantoni, and Mufti 2018;Shanta and Wells 2022), Arnold and Fermi Dirac-based problem-solving competency (Niss, 2018), students' feedback and change of answers (Wancham & Tangdhanakanond, 2022), theoretical model in constructing students' difficulty based on the teaching practices (Vázquez-Bernal & Jiménez-Pérez, 2023), and design of thinking model (Liu et al, 2023).…”