Studied development of procedural knowledge in 14 adults, aged 18 to 35 years, engaged in a novel task using a toy tractor-trailer rig. Results revealed three phases of development in subjects' knowledge of steering procedures and the rig's movement patterns, and their use of feedback information. Subjects also manifested different levels of…

Describes investigation examining relationship of problem-solving appraisal to health complaints and health-related expectancies among undergraduates. Suggests that self-appraised effective problem solvers reported fewer physical symptoms and fewer health problems and had greater internal and lower chance expectancies for health outcomes than…

Provides a schematic to build a black box experiment that uses light bulbs of various intensities. The students are to determine the complex circuit by unscrewing the bulbs and noting what happens. (MVL)

Uses student-formed groups during recitation periods to solve problems and develop concepts. (MVL)

Investigated skills needed for critical reading of physics texts, their separability and hierarchical ranking, and relation to problem solving ability. Reports that skills required to comprehend texts in continuous format and discriminate unreported statements are respectively of higher level than and separable from those required to comprehend a…

Solutions to common problems of college and university alumni boards and their meeting effectiveness are offered. Recommended are developing diversity in board membership, setting goals, making service meaningful, trying for turnover, balancing the work burden, planning for dignified departures, and fostering member involvement. (DB)

Action-reflection learning (ARL) is a learning-by-doing alternative to expert-based training. In an ARL program, training becomes a project in which learning takes place while participants try to solve a work-related problem. The process is always conducted in teams. (Author/JOW)

Interpersonal and cognitive skills, adaptability, and critical thinking can be developed through problem solving and cooperative learning in technology education. These skills have been identified as significant needs of the workplace as well as for functioning in society. (SK)

A teacher of "basics" for 14 and 15 year olds who have failed eighth grade questions the validity and relevance of this teaching approach. She stresses the importance of apprenticeships and internship programs to help students apply knowledge that is infrequently used and soon forgotten. (MLH)

The article offers suggestions for helping gifted elementary students learn to use independent thinking skills to challenge their own thinking as well as to solve mathematical problems. (DB)

Points out how student cheating illustrates sound principles of teaching and learning, such as negotiation, quality production under time pressure, and collaborative problem solving. (SR)

Investigated importance of coping resources in finding reemployment after job loss. Findings from 186 unemployed adults who were actively seeking reemployment revealed that those subjects who became reemployed within three months of job loss were more internal in their locus of control, had greater self-efficacy, and possessed better…

Effective assessment of mathematical problem solving requires more than an examination of student answers. Students tend to make calculations without explanations. Teachers need to analyze their processes and get students to communicate their thinking. This article suggests ways to understand students' thinking, their conceptions, their…

In one Colorado fifth grade classroom, math period begins with Mathematician's Chair, an activity allowing students to share their problems with entire class. Using this technique, students became adept at writing math problems, solving their own and peers' problems, using math-related writing as important medium of social discourse, and making…

Reviews work found in the psychology literature on the nine-dot problem and suggests implications of research on insight problems. Insight problems refer to a heterogeneous group of problems that require "flashes of insight" or "leaps of logic" on the part of the solver. (ZWH)