Far transfer problem-solving in a nonlinear computer environment: The role of self-regulated learning processes

Much of the problem solving research in the past decades has focused on self-regulation, especially its metacognitive component. The heart of self-regulation is developing the awareness and capacity for effective planning, monitoring, active reflecting, evaluating and modifying one\u27s own learning processes, which are regarded as metacognitive processes. This study attempted to show that positive solution transfer effects frequently found in solving puzzle problems can also be successfully implemented in domain rich problem-solving, like biology, via a hypermedia system. It was presumed that asking students to explain and probe into their own learning processes would invoke reflective processes comparable to the metacognitive processes of monitoring, evaluating and modifying of one\u27s own learning processes. A pretest-posttest control group design with random assignment, together with qualitative data collection and analysis, was used to implement the experiment. Four treatment groups were used (groups received metacognitive cues; cognitive cues, affective-awareness cues, and the control group received no cues). Measures of dependent variables (near/far transfer tests) and predictive variables (Self-regulated Learning Inventory, Self-Reflective Awareness Scale and the State Epistemic Curiosity Scales) were administered to 88 college elementary educational majors. 12 students from each group were randomly selected for post task interviews. Results showed that subjects in the metacognitive group performed significantly better on far transfer tasks than all other groups. Focusing on the problem aspects or affective-awareness was of no significant benefit. No significant correlations were found between the performance on near/far transfer problem solving and on the measures of predictive variables. The qualitative analysis indicated that metacognitive questions made students focus more on the process level of information and enabled students to attend to information regarding the ways in which the problem was solved, which in turn, improved far transfer of problem solving. These findings suggest that: (1) experiencing metacognitive processes in biology learning can lead students to successful far transfer problem solving; (2) such effects can be implemented in a hypermedia system; (3) the cognitive, metacognitive and motivational aspects of learners are critical for instructional technologists to be aware of and to take into consideration while using technology for educational purposes