Abstract
In this chapter, two studies are presented that investigate aspects of the cognitive potential exploitation hypothesis. This hypothesis states that students in Germany have cognitive potentials they do not use when solving subject-specific problems but that they do use when solving cross-curricular problems. This theory has been used to explain how students in Germany achieved relatively well on cross-curricular problem solving but relatively weakly on mathematical problem solving in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003. Our main research question in this chapter is: Can specific aspects of cross-curricular problem-solving competence (that is, conditional knowledge, procedural knowledge, and planning skills) be taught, and if so, would training in this area also transfer to mathematical problem solving? We investigated this question in a computer-based training experiment and a field-experimental training study. The results showed only limited effects in the laboratory experiment, although an interaction effect of treatment and prior problem-solving competence in the field-experiment indicated positive effects of training as well as a transfer to mathematical problem-solving for low-achieving problem-solvers. The results are discussed from a theoretical and a pedagogical perspective.
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Notes
- 1.
Parts of this chapter are based on Fleischer et al. (in preparation) and Buchwald (2015).
- 2.
We thank Dr. Viktoria Arling for her cooperation.
- 3.
This and the following model were calculated using a sequential partitioning of variance approach: that is, introducing the predictors in the following order: (1) achievement at T1, (2) group membership, and (3) achievement at T1 x group membership.
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Acknowledgments
The preparation of this chapter was supported by grants DL 645/12–2, DL 645/12–3 and RU 1437/4–3 from the German Research Foundation (DFG) in the Priority Program “Competence Models for Assessing Individual Learning Outcomes and Evaluating Educational Processes” (SPP 1293). Thanks to Dr. Viktoria Arling for her provision of Planning Competence Training. We would like to thank our student research assistants and trainers (Derya Bayar, Helene Becker, Kirsten Breuer, Jennifer Chmielnik, Jan. Dworatzek, Christian Fühner, Jana Goertzen, Anne Hommen, Michael Kalkowski, Julia Kobbe, Kinga Oblonczyk, Ralf Ricken, Sönke Schröder, Romina Skupin, Jana Wächter, Sabrina Windhövel, Kristina Wolferts) and all participating schools and students. We thank Julia Kobbe, Derya Bayar and Kirsten Breuer for proofreading.
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Buchwald, F., Fleischer, J., Rumann, S., Wirth, J., Leutner, D. (2017). Training in Components of Problem-Solving Competence: An Experimental Study of Aspects of the Cognitive Potential Exploitation Hypothesis. In: Leutner, D., Fleischer, J., Grünkorn, J., Klieme, E. (eds) Competence Assessment in Education. Methodology of Educational Measurement and Assessment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50030-0_19
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