Learning to Solve a Problem

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 less than .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.