R E V I E W O F S C I E N CE, MATHEMATICS and ICT EDUCATION, 10(1), 5-22, 2016 5 Influence of cooperative problem solving on students’ control and help-seeking strategies during mathematical problem solving

Abstract

Developing problem solving is one of the main goals of school education. A self-regulated learner have more success in problem solving, as developing self-regulated learning skills should be an important goal of school education. A teacher, in order to be able to develop their pupils’ self-regulated learning skills, should master these skills. Thus developing these skills should be an essential goal of teacher education. In this paper two important skills of a self-regulated learner are studied: control and help-seeking behavior during problem solving. The article presents a research on the influence of the cooperative problem solving strategies on students’ self-control and self-monitoring during problem solving, and their help seeking strategiesin case of unsuccessful problem solving. The results show that students’ control decrease when using cooperative problem solving; cooperative problem solving helped students to realize the importance of asking for help when solving problems; and cooperative problem solving prevent increasing the giving up rate in case of non-routine problems.

Keywords

• cooperative problem solving
• mathematical problem solving
• help-seeking strategies