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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

Using invention to change how students tackle problems.

Jared L Taylor¹, Karen M Smith, Adrian P van Stolk

¹University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. jartay@interchange.ubc.ca

CBE Life Sciences Education

|December 3, 2010

Summary

Invention activities significantly enhance biology students' problem-solving skills. Students engaged in invention activities were quicker to propose multiple hypotheses for complex problems compared to peers in structured problem-solving or no-activity groups.

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The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups

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Last Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups

The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups

Published on: May 13, 2022

Area of Science:

Biology Education
Cognitive Science

Background:

Traditional biology curricula often present complex problems divorced from real-world application.
Developing effective problem-solving strategies is crucial for scientific literacy.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the impact of invention activities on first-year biology students' problem-solving approaches.
To compare the efficacy of invention activities against structured problem-solving and control groups.

Main Methods:

First-year biology students participated in weekly 13-week invention activity sessions.
Control groups engaged in structured problem-solving or no additional activities.
Student engagement and idea generation for novel biology problems were assessed.

Main Results:

Invention activity participants demonstrated significantly faster engagement with unfamiliar biology problems.
Students in invention activities generated multiple reasonable hypotheses, unlike other groups.
Control groups showed slower problem engagement and produced fewer ideas.

Conclusions:

Invention activities foster rapid engagement and hypothesis generation in novel problem-solving scenarios.
This pedagogical approach cultivates essential skills for the initial stages of scientific inquiry.
Invention activities represent a valuable tool for enhancing biological problem-solving abilities.