The purpose of this study was to determine if selected factors influenced the ability of students in school-based agricultural education programs to generate a correct hypothesis when troubleshooting small gasoline engines. Variables of interest included students' cognitive style, age, GPA, and content knowledge in small gasoline engines. Kirton's…

Cognitive technical skills assessments, the Group Embedded Figures Test, Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking assessment, and a problem-solving inventory were completed by 15 maintenance technicians. Near-transfer problem-solving skills were predicted by cognitive ability, years of experience, and critical thinking. Field dependence/independence and…

Thirty six senior students in chemical engineering were randomly assigned to three treatment groups in an experimental study that examined the impact of different instructional strategies for troubleshooting malfunctions in a computer-based simulation of a chemical processing plant. In two groups, different types of worked examples,…