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Version 1.2 – Updated June 2023

Problem-solving teaching

Overview

  • Influence: Problem-solving teaching
  • Domain: Teaching Strategies
  • Sub-Domain: Instructional strategies
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Potential to considerably accelerate
  • Influence Definition: Problem-solving involves learning the skills to solve a problem that one does not already know how to solve, and can also involve teaching specific, subject-area focused strategies for attempting to solve such problems.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 11
  • Number of studies: 639
  • Number of students: 7,027
  • Number of effects: 1,313
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.61
  • Robustness index: 5

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author First Author's Country Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
Conference paper Almeida & Denham USA Interpersonal Cognitive Problem-Solving: A Meta-Analysis 1984 Interpersonal problem solving 18 2,398 18 0.72
Journal of Research in Education Sciences Liao & Chang China Effects of the Problem Posing Strategies of Students on Affective Learning Outcomes and Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis . 2016 Problem posing on achievement 21 0 34 0.57
Dissertation Blumschein Germany Eine Metaanalyse zur Effektivität multimedialen Lernens am Beispiel der Anchored Instruction (Doctoral dissertation, Verlag nicht ermittelbar). 2003 Anchored instruction 13 0 13 0.63
Dissertation Mellinger USA The development of cognitive flexibility in problem-solving: Theory and application 1991 Increasing cognitive flexibility 25 0 35 1.13
Journal of Special Education Xin & Jitendra USA Effects of mathematical word Problem—Solving instruction on middle school students with learning problems. 1999 Word problem solving in reading 14 0 653 0.89
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education Hembree USA Experiments and relational studies in problem solving: a meta-analysis 1992 Problem solving instructional methods 55 0 55 0.33
Journal of Research in Science Teaching Tocanis, Ferguson-Hessler, & Broekkamp Netherlands Teaching science problem solving: An overview of experimental work. 2001 Problem solving in science 22 2,208 31 0.59
Educational Researcher Johnson & Johnson USA Energizing learning: The instructional power of conflict. 2009 Conflict based teaching 39 0 39 0.80
Journal of Educational Scientific Research Liao & Chen China Effects of Integrating Computer Technology into Mathematics Instruction on Elementary Schoolers' Academic Achievement: A meta-analysis of One-hundred and Sixty-four Studies from Taiwan. 2018 Problem solving teaching 31 2,421 34 0.57
Elementary School Journal Swanson USA Research on interventions for adolescents with learning disabilities: A meta-analysis of outcomes related to higher-order processing. 2001 Programs to enhance problem solving 58 0 58 0.82
Book Marzano, Gaddy, & Dean USA What Works in Classroom Instruction 2000 Problem solving 343 0 343 0.54
TOTAL/AVERAGE 639 7,027 1,313 0.69
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