Targeted Poster Session: TP-D

Issues in Studying Transfer of Problem Solving Skills

Organizers:
       Kathleen A. Harper (harper.217@osu.edu), The Ohio State University
       Thomas Foster (tfoster@siue.edu), Southern Illinois University -- Edwardsville
        David P. Maloney (maloney@ipfw.edu), Indiana Univ. Purdue Univ.  Fort Wayne

Where:  Orchard Room II & III
When: 1:45 – 3:15 & 3:45 – 5:15, Thursday, August 5

Goal: Participants will leave the session with a sense of the current status of research about transfer in the domain of problem solving, how this research can inform classroom practice, an idea of the issues that might be reported on in the near future, and a better understanding of how research in this area is conducted. We will expose participants to several aspects of transfer related to physics problem solving. Some of these aspects are currently being explored, while others need to be addressed in the near future. We will present both types, relate them to the current state of knowledge in this area, and describe ways in which these studies are or might be executed.

Theme: As one of the co-organizers put it, 'Transfer is the holy grail of problem solving.' It is such a huge part of determining the effectiveness of any instructional intervention, and in the area of problem solving, in particular, it's quite difficult to design an effective study. Getting some of these issues out in the open for discussion will be of value to problem solving researchers and 'consumers' alike.

Individual Poster Abstracts

TP-D1
Quantifying 'near' and 'far' transfer
Leonardo Hsu (lhsu@tc.umn.edu), University of Minnesota
Abstract: Researchers typically characterize instances of 'near' and 'far' transfer by the similarity of the contexts between which the transfer occurs (or does not occur). However, who decides whether or not two contexts are 'similar?' Is it possible to determine if a given pair of contexts is more similar than another pair? We explore the possibility of developing criteria for quantifying the nearness or farness of the transfer of problem-solving skills.

TP-D2
Transfer among physics and other content areas
Eric Brewe (ebrewe@hpu.edu), Hawaii Pacific University
Abstract: Physicists tend to think physics is the foundation of all science. Of course, this is true. However, it is not the only science and therefore it is interesting to consider the influence of physics on other sciences as well as other sciences on physics. In terms of problem solving, the issue of transfer between subjects is of particular import. This poster will summarize research into transfer between and among science courses and physics.

TP-D3
Problem-solving Transfer between Mathematics and Physics
Thomas Foster (tfoster@siue.edu), Southern Illinois University -- Edwardsville
Charles Henderson (Charles.Henderson@wmich.edu), Western Michigan University
Abstract: Mathematics is the language of physics and many mathematicians study physics phenomena. For professionals in physics and math, there are often instances of transfer between the two disciplines. Yet, every physics instructor knows that many students have great difficulty in using even basic mathematical skills in the context of solving a physics problem. What do we know about the nature of this transfer problem? Is it perhaps that our mathematics colleagues are poor teachers, or are there deeper roots? This poster will describe the current knowledge about the transfer of problem solving skills between mathematics and physics and identify questions that remain unanswered.

TP-D4
Problem Solving Skills and Problem Types: What Transfers?
 David P. Maloney (maloney@ipfw.edu), Indiana Univ. Purdue Univ.  Fort Wayne
Abstract: One often stated goal of teaching problem solving is to help students develop problem solving skills, but what does this mean? Are there general problem solving skills that transfer? Considering that problems vary along a number of dimensions, what might it be reasonable to expect about how different skills transfer between different kinds of problems? This poster will provide an outline of these ideas/issues and try to identify some research questions that merit investigation.

TP-D5
Alternative Problem Types: Do They Facilitate Transfer?
 Kathleen A. Harper (harper.217@osu.edu), The Ohio State University
Abstract: A great deal of research effort has been devoted to developing alternative problem types (e.g. context-rich problems, jeopardy problems, experiment problems, and ranking tasks). Proponents of these problem formats claim that they assist students in becoming more expert in their problem solving. If this is indeed the case, there should 1) be observable characteristics of students who are routinely required to work such problems and 2) at least some of these characteristics should transfer to other types of problems. This poster will first describe some alternative problem formats and the instructional goals associated with them. Then it will explore how some of these behaviors might be quantitatively measured and how future studies might be designed to assess the transfer of such behavior.