Understanding transfer from a dynamic system approach: Two studies of children using problem-solving tasks

Abstract

Transfer is not static but a dynamic process of learning. In this article, the concept of transfer and the implications of its study are reconsidered from the theoretical basis of the complex dynamic system approach. We describe “transfer” as an emergent process that implies not a copy of knowledge applied to a new situation, but a new configuration of knowledge to solve new situations. Therefore, we discussed the concept of transfer based on the following dynamic principles: soft-assembly, multi causality, variability, self-organization, and iteration. To reconsider the concept of transfer, we provide empirical evidence, illustrating these principles by discussing two studies of transfer carried out with preschoolers. The participants were 34 children of 4 years old (M = 4,6), and 8 children of 4 to 6 years old (M = 5,2). Using repeated measure designs (3 weeks and 6 months, respectively), participants worked on sets of problem-solving situations in the domain of physics (i.e. Archimedes’ principle and Air pressure). By using time-series graphs we identified the relevant elements of the tasks used by the children during the problem-solving process to analyze how this process changes over time. Results show transfer as a self-organized and context-related process in which the information is not static but in constant transformation.

Keywords

• dynamic systems approach
• preschoolers
• scientific reasoning
• transfer of learning
• problem-solving