The General Assessment of Problem Solving Processes and Metacognition in Physics Education

Problem solving is one of the primary tools for college and university science instruction. In this study, the review of problem solving and metacognition skills of students was presented. Basically, at the first step, problem solving was defined and then the differences of the experienced and inexperienced problem solvers were considered. Various strategy steps of problem solving reported in the open literature were discussed. Metacognition was introduced as an important part of problem solving process. The research available in the literature indicated that teaching problem solving strategies help students but not sufficient to promote true science expertise. Meta-cognitive skills should be clearly taught to build structured knowledge and develop desirable habits of mind, and to guide students through the stages of cognitive development.