Do Prescribed Prompts Prime Sensemaking During Group Problem Solving?

TL;DR

This study investigates whether prescribed problem-solving prompts effectively promote sensemaking during group discussions in an educational setting, finding that such prompts alone are insufficient to induce meaningful understanding-focused dialogue.

Contribution

The paper provides empirical evidence that rigid prescribed prompts do not reliably trigger sensemaking in group problem-solving, challenging their assumed effectiveness.

Findings

Prescribed prompts alone do not induce sensemaking

Students' epistemological framing often diverges from intended goals

Explicit encouragement may be needed to foster sensemaking

Abstract

Many researchers and textbooks have promoted the use of rigid prescribed strategies for encouraging development of expert-like problem-solving behavior in novice students. The University of British Columbia's introductory algebra-based course for non-physics majors uses Context-Rich problems with a prescribed six-step strategy. We have coded audio recordings of group problem-solving sessions to analyze students' epistemological framing based on the implicit goal of their discussions. By treating the goal of "understanding the physics of the situation" as sensemaking, we argue that prescribed problem-solving prompts are not sufficient to induce subsequent sensemaking discussion.