The Experimental Study On The Effect Of Examples, Practice And Processing Modes On The Math Problem-solving Transfer Strategies In Elementary School

Availably facilitating the students' transfer of learning strategies is the purpose of fundamental education under the New Course Criterion. It is also an important theme in the present applied study field of educational psychology. But there are limited studies on transfer of math problem-solving strategies (hereafter referred to as TMPSS) in elementary school, as well as the factors effecting TMPSS and the characteristics and mechanism of TMPSS. With the materials of math applied problems in grade 4 and 5 in elementary school, from the perspective of the effects of examples, practice and processing modes on TMPSS, the article discusses controlled teaching factors in TMPSS in elementary school, studies the effects and characteristics of TMPSS in various teaching and learning modes, and analyses its reasons and internal mechanism. The conclusions acquired in the article are good for furthering strategy learning and related theories of transfer, and instructing effective strategy teaching courses in mathematic teaching in elementary school.The study uses experimentation, investigation, measurement and verbal protocol method, and makes use of a double-graded standard to analyze. Two experiments are involved in the study. Experiment One examines the effect of various presentation modes of examples and practice modes on TMPSS, analyzes the impact on TMPSS, characteristics and general trend of TMPSS in various combination of presentation modes of examples and practice modes. With verbal protocol method, Experiment Two examines further the effect and characteristics of TMPSS in various presentation modes of examples, various processing modes and practice modes. It also discusses the developmental characteristics and internal mechanism of TMPSS. The conclusions are as follows:1.Experiment One indicates that the main-effect in posterior transfer of math problem-solving strategies (hereafter referred to as MPSS) in elementary school is significant both in presentation modes of examples and practice modes, but the difference of their interaction is not significant. Concretely, MPSS in elementary school have the best near-transfer effect in worked-out presentation modes of examples and mass-practice modes while have the best median-transfer effect and far-transfer effect in worked-out presentation modes of examples and cross-practice modes. Experiment Two indicates that there is significant difference of main-effect in presentation modes of examples in near-transfer and significant interaction between process modes and practice modes in far-transfer. However, there is no significant difference of other main-effects and interaction in three transfer modes. Generally, among the three modes of near-transfer, median-transfer and far-transfer, the more worked-out presentation modes of examples, descriptive processing modes and mass-practice modes are, the more significant the effect of TMPSS is. Whereas, the more worked presentation modes of examples, formula processing modes, and cross-practice modes are, the less significant the effect of problem-solving transfer is. Concretely, MPSS in elementary school have the best transfer effect in near-transfer and median-transfer of worked-out presentation modes of examples, descriptive processing modes and mass-practice modes; but have the best far-transfer effect in worked presentation modes of examples, formula processing modes, and cross-practice modes. The results acquired in Experiment One nearly accord with those in Experiment Two.2.Presentation modes of examples, learner's processing modes and practice modes are the controlled teaching factors, which have effects on TMPSS. Problem difficulty, problem-solving ability and gender are the teaching factors difficult to control in TMPSS. The two or three kinds of factors usually interact on each other effecting the transfer of problem-solving strategies together.3.The types of TMPSS are calculation, formula and schema. TMPSS develops from the elementary number-counting stage of procedural knowledge transfer, the intermediate ste...