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Learning to Solve a Problem

A Microanalysis of the Solution Strategies of Children with Learning Disabilities

William L. Wansart is an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire in the Department of Education, Special Education Program. He received his EdD from the University of Northern Colorado. His research interests focus on children's problem-solving strategies. His current research involves the study of students with learning disabilities in writing and reading process classrooms, in collaboration with the University of New Hampshire Writing Process Laboratory. Address: William L. Wansart, University of New Hampshire, Department of Education, Durham, NH 03824.

Ten subjects with learning disabilities and 10 normally achieving subjects, aged 10-5 to 12-5 years, were videotaped while attempting to solve the Tower of Hanoi problem (see Karat, 1982; Piaget, 1976; Simon, 1975). A microanalysis of their problem-solving activities provided a descriptive taxonomy used to analyze what, in fact, individual subjects did when constructing a solution strategy, and to categorize and compare changes in strategy. The results indicated that as a group the normally achieving subjects reached more sophisticated levels of strategy use (p< .05). However, if the focus of the comparison is on an analysis of how learning proceeded in individuals, then the subjects with learning disabilities appear to be similar to the normally achieving subjects. There was no evidence in these subjects of the popular conception that individuals with learning disabilities are inactive, passive, or maladaptive in their attempts to learn to solve a problem.

Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 23, No. 3, 164-170 (1990)
DOI: 10.1177/002221949002300306


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