Contextual risks, child problem-solving profiles, and socioemotional functioning: Testing the specialization hypothesis

Abstract Guided by the evolutionary perspective and specialization hypothesis, this multi-method (behavioral observation, questionnaire) longitudinal study adopted a person-centered approach to explore children’s problem-solving skills within different contexts. Participants were 235 young children (M age = 2.97 years at the first measurement occasion) and their parents assessed in two measurement occasions spaced one year apart. Latent profile analyses revealed four unique problem-solving profiles, capturing variability in children’s performance, and observed engagement in abstract vs. reward-oriented (RO) problem-solving tasks at wave one. The four profiles included: (a) a high-abstract-high-RO, (b) a high-abstract-low-RO, (c) a low-abstract-high-RO, and (d) a low-abstract-low-RO classes. Contextual risks within and outside families during wave one, including greater neighborhood crime, impoverishment, and observed lower maternal sensitivity were linked to the elevated likelihood for children from the two profiles with low-abstract problem-solving, particularly those from the low-abstract-high-RO problem-solving profile. Furthermore, child problem-solving profiles were linked to meaningful differences in their socioemotional functioning one year later. The present finding has important implications in revealing the heterogeneity in child problem-solving within different contexts that responded differently to contextual risks. In addition, this study advanced the understanding of the developmental implications of child problem-solving capacity.

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Can Mother's Depression Affect Infant's Development?

Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.5812/ijpbs.114235 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol In Press (In Press) ◽

Author(s):

Narges Mohamadi Parsa ◽

Abbas Mohamadi ◽

Fatemeh Einabadi

Keyword(s):

Social Skills ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Developmental Disorders ◽

P Value ◽

Socioeconomic Level ◽

Gross Motor ◽

Problem Solving Skills ◽

Mother’S Age ◽

Developmental Domains ◽

One Year

Background: The mental state of the mother is one of the factors influencing the development of infants. Besides, the quality of the child's relationship with her/his parent is very important in childhood development. Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the relationship between the mother's depression and developmental disorders in infants. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized a sample size of 311 subjects. The study population included all infants and their mothers who were referred to health centers of the city of Hamadan, Iran, to receive the usual one-year care. Mothers’ depression was assessed with the second edition of the Beck Depression Inventory, and children’s developmental disabilities were assessed with one-year Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Results: The mean age of mothers in this study was 29.7 ± 5.6. The prevalence of developmental disorders in infants was 3.5%. This study showed that mothers' depression had no significant relationship with any of the developmental domains in infants. None of the developmental domains in infants were related to the mother's occupation and education. However, the gross motor skills (P-value: 0.007) and problem-solving skills (P-value: 0.031) were significantly related to the socioeconomic level, and communication (P-value: 0.034), and personal-social skills (P-value: 0.026) of the infant were directly related to the mother's age. Conclusions: Mother's depression is not related to the infant's developmental disorders. There is a relationship between the socioeconomic level of the family and gross motor and problem-solving skills of the infant. The mother’s age is directly related to communication and personal-social skills of the infant.

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The Development of Problem Solving Skills through Problem-Based Learning in Economics in School Course

International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education ◽

10.31098/ijeiece.v1i1.43 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 29-36

Author(s):

Montha Chumsukon

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Management ◽

Problem Solving ◽

21St Century ◽

Rating Scales ◽

Problem Based Learning ◽

Behavioral Observation ◽

Problem Solving Skills ◽

Research Findings ◽

High Level ◽

Students Satisfaction

Problem-solving was necessary skill during the 21st century. According to the advanced social change, the traditional knowledge management focusing on the lecture which did not facilitate the problem thinking skill. The problem-based knowledge management was the instructional model, which could enhance the students’ problem-solving skill. The objectives of this research were: 1) to develop students’ problem-solving skill by using the Problem-Based Learning in Economics in School Course so that not less than 70% of students would have scores passing the specified criterion 70% of full score, and 2) to study the students’ satisfaction on Problem-Based Learning in Economics in School Course. The target group of this study was 32 second-year students who enrolled in Learning in Economics in School Course during the first semester of the 2017 academic year. There were 3 kinds of research instrument: 1) the instrument using for action including 9 problem-based plans, 27 hours, 2) the instrument using for reflecting research findings including the teachers’ teaching behavioral observation, the students’ learning behavioral observation, and 3 essay items of evaluation form in problem-solving skill at the end of cycle, and 3) the instrument used for evaluating the action performance including 5 multiple choice items of problem-solving skill, and 15 items of 5 level of rating scales for evaluating the students’ satisfaction. Data were 2 it is analyzed by using the statistics including percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The research findings found that: For the students’ problem-solving skill through problem-based learning in Economics in School Course, there were 25 students or 78% passing the specified criterion out of 32 students who were higher than the specified standard 70%. Also, the mean score was 42.7 9 points or 71.33% out of 60 points, passing the specified criterion 70%. For the students’ satisfaction in problem-based learning in Economics in School Couse, in overall, it was in “High” level (Very Satisfied). This research was classroom action research. It is beneficial for improving social studies teachers to develop future students. The students can continuously learn by themselves; it allows them the opportunity to achieve the goal of life-long learning and to become a person of quality for the 21st century.

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Description and impact of a distance mathematics course for Grade 10 to 12 teachers

Pythagoras ◽

10.4102/pythagoras.v0i65.89 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 0 (65) ◽

Author(s):

Gerrit Stols ◽

Alwyn Olivier ◽

Diane Grayson

Keyword(s):

Distance Education ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Mathematical Thinking ◽

Thinking Skills ◽

Teaching Skills ◽

Problem Solving Skills ◽

One Year ◽

The Impact ◽

Mathematics Course

This paper explores the impact of a one-year in-service distance education mathematics course that follows a problem-solving approach. The course aims to develop teachers’ mathematical thinking skills. Results show that the course improved the teachers’ confidence, problem-solving skills and teaching skills. Results also show that the course on mathematical thinking skills helps to improve teachers’ understanding of mathematics content.

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Developing an Observation Tool to Measure Preschool Children’s Problem-Solving Skills

Education Sciences ◽

10.3390/educsci11120779 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 779

Author(s):

Florencia K. Anggoro ◽

Mia Dubosarsky ◽

Sarah Kabourek

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Intervention Group ◽

The United States ◽

Engineering Problem ◽

National Standards ◽

Unique Problem ◽

Problem Solving Skills ◽

Problem Solving Process ◽

K 12

In the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), problem-solving skills are part of science and engineering practices for K–12 students in the United States. Evaluating these skills for the youngest learners is difficult due to the lack of established measures. This paper reports on our process of developing an observation instrument to measure preschool children’s learning and their application of problem-solving skills, namely, the steps of the engineering design process (EDP). The instrument, Engineering Preschool Children Observation Tool (EPCOT), was intended to evaluate the frequencies of problem-solving behaviors and use of EDP-related vocabulary by observing preschoolers engaged with the Seeds of STEM eight-unit curriculum in the classroom. In this paper, we describe the development process and revision of EPCOT, its current constructs, and present descriptive findings from using the tool in a pilot study with sixteen classrooms: eight intervention classrooms who received the entire curriculum, and eight comparison classrooms who received only the eighth unit of the curriculum (to enable comparison). We found that, out of 34 possible behaviors across the problem-solving process, children in all classrooms engaged in 31 unique problem-solving behaviors, suggesting that preschool children are indeed capable of meaningfully engaging in solving problems. We also observed a trend that children who were exposed to more of the curriculum (the intervention group) produced more novel vocabulary words than those in the comparison group, who tended to repeat vocabulary words. Since EPCOT was developed in alignment with state and national standards, we believe it has the potential to be used with other early childhood engineering/problem-solving curricula.

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Developing mathematical problem solving skills

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning ◽

10.1046/j.1365-2729.1998.144066.x ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 278-291 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

B. Abidin ◽

J.R. Hartley

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Mathematical Problem ◽

Mathematical Problem Solving ◽

Problem Solving Skills

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Assessing Collaborative Behavior in Students

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000329 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 52-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Katarina Krkovic ◽

Sascha Wüstenberg ◽

Samuel Greiff

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Collaborative Problem Solving ◽

Seventh Graders ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Personality Tests ◽

Problem Solving Skills ◽

Knowledge Application ◽

Computer Agent ◽

Collaborative Behavior ◽

Confirmatory Factor

Abstract. Skilful collaborative problem-solving is becoming increasingly important in various life areas. However, researchers are still seeking ways to assess and foster this skill in individuals. In this study, we developed a computer-assisted assessment for collaborative behavior (COLBAS) following the experiment-based assessment of behavior approach (objective personality tests; Cattell, 1958 ). The instrument captures participants’ collaborative behavior in problem-solving tasks using the MicroDYN approach while participants work collaboratively with a computer-agent. COLBAS can thereby assess problem-solving and collaborative behavior expressed through communication acts. To investigate its validity, we administered COLBAS to 483 German seventh graders along with MicroDYN as a measure of individual problem-solving skills and questions regarding the motivation to collaborate. A latent confirmatory factor analysis suggested a five-dimensional construct with two problem-solving dimensions (knowledge acquisition and knowledge application) and three collaboration dimensions (questioning, asserting, and requesting). The results showed that extending MicroDYN to include collaborative aspects did not considerably change the measurement of problem-solving. Finally, students who were more motivated to collaborate interacted more with the computer-agent but also obtained worse problem-solving results.

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