Experts categorise problems by solution principles while novices categorise by surface features¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 1998 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In physics problem-sorting, novices grouped problems by surface features or common objects, whereas experts categorised them by the physics principles needed to solve them. → Marcus 1998

Evidence¶

Marcus 1998¶

Marcus, N. (1998). Understanding Instructions. PhD thesis, University of New South Wales. https://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/70247

q2 · i? · associational · r1

The thesis reports, citing Chi, Feltovich, and Glaser (1981), a study in which eight expert (PhD) and eight novice (undergraduate) physicists sorted 24 physics problems by similarity of solutions. Experts categorised by principles such as conservation of energy or Newton's Second Law.

"Novices tended to group problems together according to surface features or common objects included in the problem description."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Prior Knowledge — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Novices and experts differ in problem representation: novices segment the problem and use surface analogies, while experts apply general underlying principles — a broader claim this one bears on
• The report attributes to expert-novice comparisons that experts relate symptoms to inoperative system functions while novices focus on physically proximal components — related
• Experts work forwards from givens while novices work backwards via means-ends analysis — related