AUTHOR=Ngu Bing Hiong , Phan Huy P. TITLE=Developing Problem-Solving Expertise for Word Problems JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.725280 DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.725280 ISSN=1664-1078 ABSTRACT=

Studying worked examples impose relatively low cognitive load because learners’ attention is directed to learn the schema, which is embedded in the worked examples. That schema encompasses both conceptual knowledge and procedural knowledge. It is well-documented that worked examples are effective in facilitating the acquisition of problem-solving skills. However, the use of worked examples to develop problem-solving expertise is less known. Typically, experts demonstrate an efficient way to solve problems that is quicker, faster, and having fewer solution steps. We reviewed five studies to validate the benefit of worked examples to develop problem-solving expertise for word problems. Overall, a diagram portrays the problem structure, coupled with either study worked examples or complete multiple example–problem pairs, facilitates the formation of an equation to solve words problems efficiently. Hence, an in-depth understanding of conceptual knowledge (i.e., problem structure) might contribute to superior performance of procedural knowledge manifested in the reduced solution steps.