TA-designed vs. research-oriented problem solutions

TL;DR

This study investigates graduate TAs' preferences for problem solution features, revealing a focus on surface features and a disconnect between their preferences and their actual written solutions, highlighting gaps in expert modeling.

Contribution

It provides insights into TAs' beliefs about problem solutions and compares their preferences with their actual problem-solving practices.

Findings

TAs value surface features over deep problem-solving features

Preferences do not align with the solutions TAs produce

TAs' beliefs about solutions differ from their actual practices

Abstract

In order to study graduate teaching assistants (TAs) beliefs and values about the design of instructor problem solutions, twenty-four TAs were provided with different solutions and asked to discuss their preferences for prominent solution features. TAs preferences for solution features were examined in light of the modeling of expert-like problem solving process as recommended in the literature. Results suggest that while many of the features TAs valued align with expert-like problem solving approaches, they noticed primarily "surface features" of solutions. Moreover, self-reported preferences did not match well with the solutions TAs wrote on their own.