Using Students' Concept-building Tendencies to Better Characterize Average-Performing Student Learning and...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• STEM Education

Background:

• Student learning approaches influence performance in complex STEM subjects.
• Prior research showed abstraction learners outperformed exemplar learners in chemistry.

Purpose of the Study:

• Replicate and extend prior findings on concept-building approaches in a new general chemistry course.
• Investigate the impact of concept-building approaches on problem-solving behaviors using think-aloud interviews.
• Examine performance differences across varying problem-solving transfer levels.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a process-oriented guided-inquiry learning pedagogy in a health science-focused institution.
• Conducted think-aloud interviews with average-achieving students.
• Assessed problem-solving behaviors and performance across three transfer levels.

Main Results:

• Abstraction learners consistently outperformed exemplar learners across all problem transfer levels.
• Abstraction learners demonstrated conceptual understanding, while exemplar learners relied on algorithms.
• Both groups exhibited metacognitive monitoring weaknesses, particularly in confidence accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Concept-building approach significantly impacts STEM learning and problem-solving.
• Fostering conceptual understanding is crucial for effective science education.
• Metacognitive skill development is a key area for improvement in science learners.