Physics problem solving strategies and metacognitive skills: force and motion topics

The purpose of this paper is to identify the differences between more successful and less successful students in physics problem solving. This study consists of 21 students. However, for the purpose of this paper, only two were discussed. Respondents solved four physics problems while talking aloud. Each of the respondents were videotaped. Interviews were conducted right after the test. Written answers from physics task were marked according to the schema. The thinking aloud were transcribed verbatim from the videotapes as well as interviews. Transcripts were coded and examined looking for both similarities and differences. As a conclusion, there were differences between more successful and less successful in solving physics problem. The data showed that more successful and less successful problem solvers did show clear differences in how they went about solving the problem. The more successful problem solvers set clear goals, needed to reread the question less in order to understand each part of the test set, drew diagrams that reflected deeper levels of thinking and spent more time thinking qualitatively analysis before and during the problem solving process. They used scientific representation to represent the variables operating in the task, they progressively monitored their thinking, when they changed approach it was because they identified a deficiency, and they evaluated their answers before finalising their response. On the other hand, less successful problem solvers, set less clear goals than more successful problem solvers and were less effective in achieving these because they prematurely leapt into substituting data into equations spending less time on qualitative analysis, frequently rereading the question. They also used naive representation to represent the variables, when they changed approach it was to select a different equation and they did not evaluate their answers before finalising their response.