Abstract
Protocol Analysis or think alouds are a research tool originally developed by cognitive psychologists for the purpose of studying how people solve problems. The basic idea being that if a subject can be trained to think out loud while completing a certain task, then the introspections can be analyzed and may provide insights into misunderstandings as well as higher thinking and can be used to remove bottlenecks. This talk is a report of a think aloud conducted with calculus students to understand their difficulties with problem solving. A coding scheme developed by the authors based on Pólya's four step problem solving process which was used in the analysis will be discussed. A rubric created for the scoring will also be presented. The process will be demonstrated through a simple activity.
Location
Room 2904
Recommended Citation
Premadasa, Kirthi and Bhatia, Kavita, "Why Can't They Solve It? Using Protocol Analysis to Unlock Problem Solving Mysteries" (2011). SoTL Commons Conference. 61.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2011/61
Why Can't They Solve It? Using Protocol Analysis to Unlock Problem Solving Mysteries
Room 2904
Protocol Analysis or think alouds are a research tool originally developed by cognitive psychologists for the purpose of studying how people solve problems. The basic idea being that if a subject can be trained to think out loud while completing a certain task, then the introspections can be analyzed and may provide insights into misunderstandings as well as higher thinking and can be used to remove bottlenecks. This talk is a report of a think aloud conducted with calculus students to understand their difficulties with problem solving. A coding scheme developed by the authors based on Pólya's four step problem solving process which was used in the analysis will be discussed. A rubric created for the scoring will also be presented. The process will be demonstrated through a simple activity.
