Problem-Solving Processes of High and Average Performers in Physics

Abstract

This study examined cognitive processing differences reported between experts and novices in physics, in order to compare corresponding processes in high and average school achievers. It explored the possibility that the cognitive processes of the high achiever more closely resemble those of experts. Subjects were 12 boys and 9 girls from a grade eleven enriched physics course, divided into groups of high and average achievement. Two graduate students in physics and a high school physics teacher served as experts. All were asked to think aloud while solving five physics problems. The protocols were transcribed and segmented into clauses. Each clause was categorized as a metacognitive, planning, or content statement. Further analysis of the content statements indicated whether they were based on given or prior knowledge. Experts and high performers made more correct metastatements and more references to prior knowledge than the average performers, indicating similarities between high performance at the high school level and expertise in physics.