University professors' and students' knowledge of the executive control strategies applied in the solving of ill-structured problems.
Creators: name: Taylor, K. Lynn.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 1992
Subjects: subject: Education, Educational Psychology.

description: In a problem solving context, executive control (EC) strategies are those strategies which monitor, direct and evaluate the problem solving process. Effective use of EC strategy knowledge characterizes the problem solving behaviour of expert solvers, but is commonly lacking in students. The exploratory investigation presented here addresses EC strategy knowledge at the university level and was guided by the following research objectives: (1) to explore EC strategy use and the associated strategic knowledge demonstrated by professors and students, while solving ill-structured problems within their domain of expertise and outside of that domain; and (2) to examine the differences in EC strategies applied and in associated strategies knowledge, across expertise and across domains. The research describes a broader range of EC strategy knowledge than is typically addressed in conventional expert-novice studies. This broader spectrum of strategy knowledge is reflected in a model of strategy knowledge first proposed by Pressley, Borkowski and O'Sullivan (1985) which, in its revised form, includes the interaction of general strategy knowledge, specific strategy knowledge and strategy acquisition knowledge. Four groups consisting of nine students and nine professors from the domain of biology and nine students and nine professors from the domain of political science respectively, were recruited on a volunteer basis. Following a short training session, each solver was requested to solve randomly assigned, ill-structured tasks in two domains: biology and political science. Participants were asked first, to work on each task while thinking aloud and then, to report on how they solved the problem in a semi-structured interview. All verbalizations were audiotaped, transcribed and then coded to extract EC strategy knowledge. The results indicate clear expertise and domain differences. Across expertise, professors and students differed in their patterns of global strategy use, the specific strategy knowledge they demonstrated and the beliefs they reported relevant to problem solving. Some of these results reflected a non-linear progression from novice to expert, suggesting that the EC strategy knowledge of both professors and effective student solvers provide an important resource in understanding and addressing EC strategy knowledge in the context of academic courses. Across domains, general strategy knowledge differences were strongest and influenced specific strategy knowledge, which in turn, was frequently implemented with different emphases and supported by different conditional knowledge. At a more general level, a number of themes emerged from the data. As expected, a full spectrum of EC strategy knowledge was demonstrated in the strategy knowledge reported by university students and professors, and the components of strategy knowledge in this spectrum were inter-dependent. The results on strategy acquisition knowledge indicated that solvers experienced little exposure to strategic knowledge in academic courses. Consequently, there was little conscious awareness of how EC strategy knowledge can be actively acquired. Finally, a performance-goal pattern of motivation was observed to influence the problem solving behaviour and strategy acquisition knowledge of both professors and students. The results have important implications for how university level educators represent and use Ec strategy knowledge in heir classrooms and demonstrate specific forms of EC strategy knowledge which could contribute to the development of "competence" in the domains of biology and political science.