Teaching for Conceptual Understanding and Self-Regulation Through Collaborative Problem Solving in Science

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The project is a three year investigation of collaborative problem solving in science for the purpose of developing accounts of learning and problem solving by middle school students and developing instructional strategies and materials that improve both students' conceptual understanding of science and their capacities for self- regulation in complex problem solving situations. Year 1 is an intervention study investigating the comparative effects of three instructional conditions: a) mediated independent problem solving, b) group problem solving, and c) mediated group problem solving. This investigation will be conducted in eight classrooms as the students study a unit on the nature and properties of matter. Analyses of Year 1 data will occur in Year 2 for the purpose of: a) evaluating the success with which the desired outcomes were achieved across the various conditions in terms of conceptual understanding, self-regulatory abilities, and internalization of the social norms practiced across the three conditions, b) evaluating the reasons for the outcomes, principally through microanalysis of classroom interactions, and c) revising the instructional procedures. In Year 3, we will investigate the implementation of the revised instructional program in eight classrooms. The proposed study will contribute both to research on problem solving and conceptual understanding in science and to the improvement of educational practice, focusing on the opportunities for teachers and students to work together in "learning communities."