The Fostering of Question-Asking Capability A Meaningful Aspect of Problem-Solving in Chemistry Uri Zoller' Haifa University-Oranim. The School of Education of the Kubbutz Movement, P. 0. Kiryat Tivon 36910, Israel
Problem Solving, Declslon Maklng, and Aetlon Life is in essence a continuous process of decision making or selection from available or created options (I).The "decision act", that is, a decision to do (or not to do) something concerning a situation or a prohlem that confronts one, is an essential precondition to that action (or nonaction). As an important component of human activity, the deeision act makes sense if (and. nrobablv. onlv if) the orosnective decision maker is c o n f r o k d with kith& aprobiem be solved or with multiple ovtions from which to choose. I t appears to be agreed-upon that in hoth cases that are not mutually exclusive a problem-solving situation is involved (2). Teaching people to be capable prohlem solvers is amajor concern to all those who believe that the cornerstone of any domestic society is the arl!r~rand responsible participation in decisions by an edurated and intelligent riti~enry,reeardless of their career orientations. In confronting social, technological, and political problems, people should make a conscientious decision, act accordingly, and take responsibility for the consequences of their actions (3). Thus, a major educational challenge of contemporary and future science education, and chemistry education in particular, is the development of competent, problem-solving citizens. Consequently, increasing the problem-solving abilities of students continues to he a major goal of science teachers (4) and a major issue in chemical education (5). In solving any prohlem, hoth the conceptual knowledge
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Fresented in part in the Eighth Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (the Symposium on "Problem Solving"), the University of Connecticut, Storrs. CT, August 5-10, 1984. Currently on a sabbatical year at the University of British Columbia. Vancouver, BC. Canada; Departments of Chemistry and Mathematics and Science Education.
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510
Journal of Chemical Education
and information needed for arriving a t a solution (content) and the procedural knowledge of how to execute a prohlem solution and the reasoning that goes toward the solution (process) are important factors. However, as far as the prohlem-solving capability is concerned, the differentiation hetween a problem and an exerczse should be made. Based on Hayes's operational definition of the prohlem (6)the latter may be metaphorically represented as follows: If one wishes to go from a point of origin A (state, level, location, status1 to target B without knowing how tu do it, one has or is confrontedby) a problem.
Thus. "nroblem solvine is what vou do when vou don't know whattido . . ." (7). w he ahove"provides a iasis for distineuishine hetween the closelv related concevts oroblem and If one knows what to do when one reads a question, it isn't a problem, it's an exercise. Status as a prohlem is not an inherent characteristic of a auestion. it is a subtle interaction between the question and the individual trying to answer the question
Unfortunately, a substantial portion of the research activity in science and chemical education concemine oroblem-solving has dealt with this issue mainly in the Lrcise-solving sense in the context of the traditional disciplines (91,including chemistry (10).Students have been taught the technicalities associated with the correct wavs to manivulate oarameters (or variables) in order to wind up with one correct answer to anv eiven question (11). This papei,
