Symbol systems framework: symbols, symbol systems, and symbolic products¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 review), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The review organizes its analysis with Gardner's distinction between symbols, symbol systems, and symbolic products. A symbol is any entity that can denote another entity; a symbol system is a set of symbols plus rules for combining them, with Salomon's added requirement of "correspondence to a field of reference" that gives the symbols meaning. Achievement tests are characterized as symbolic products whose adequacy for estimating knowledge the review examines. The review also surveys classifications (Gross's five modes; Hooper's mathematics taxonomy) and dimensions such as resemblance and notationality.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A symbol system requires a field of reference to give meaning to the set of symbols and rules

Constraints¶

• The review concludes the literature presents no clarified critical dimensions distinguishing symbol systems and that notationality is too abstract to define taxonomies for particular knowledge domains

Target Learners¶

• elementary and secondary students

Target Learning Objectives¶

• subject-matter knowledge and problem solving in domains such as science and mathematics

Claims¶

• People acquire different knowledge from different media, the closest indirect evidence for symbolic encoding specificity [+M]
• Typical verbal achievement tests may underestimate students' subject-matter knowledge because of a mismatch between the test's symbolic form and students' symbolic encoding [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Symbol system translation as a problem-solving construct
• The symbol systems approach to studying media and computers in education

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Shavelson, Richard J.; Webb, Noreen M.; Lehman, Penny. (1986). The Role of Symbol Systems in Problem Solving: A Literature Review. CSE Report No. 269. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED338680