An Experimental Investigation Utilizing the Computer as a Tool for Stimulating Reasoning Skills

Developing problem solving skills in students has long been an educational goal. This study investigated the first phase of problem solving, the awareness of mental operations. Cognitive process instruction was the approach used in a fifteen hour computer class to focus the attention of students on their own thinking processes. Evaluation was made of the students' ability to recall componential operations involved in familiar tasks. The results of this evaluation indicate that improvement in problem solving is an instructional possibility.