Abstract
In this study, we examined high school students' abilities for solving problems under single concept situations and complex concept situations and their mental capacities. Single concept situations are defined as the problems which can be solved with a scientific concept or principle and complex concept situations are the problems combined with more than 2 single concept situations. 152 11th-graders were participated in this study, who had taken natural science track. FIT 752 was used to measure their mental capacities. And an instrument, made up of six questions under three single concept situations and three complex concept situations, was used to assess students' problem solving abilities. As results, students' problem solving abilities were lower in complex concept situations than in single concept situations. There wasn't significant difference in mental capacities between of students who succeeded in solving problems and ones who did not under both single and complex concept situations. Although students solved the problems of single concept situations, some of them failed in solving the problems of complex concept situations composed of single concept situations which they succeeded in solving. They belonged to relatively low mental capacity group, of which students who failed in solving problems of complex situations had lower metal capacities than ones who succeeded in solving them. According to these results, it could be concluded that mental capacity is one of main variables which have influence on problem solving of complex concept situations composed of solvable single concept situations.
이 연구에서는 이미 해결한 단일개념으로만 구성된 복합개념상황에서 학생들의 문제해결력과 정신용량의 관계를 알아보았다. 과학적 개념이나 원리 하나만 알면 풀 수 있는 문제를 단일개념상황으로 정의하였고 단일개념상황을 2개 이상 결합하여 만든 문제를 복합개념상황으로 정의하였다. 청주시 소재 일반계 고등학교 2학년 학생 152명을 대상으로 정신용량에는 유의미한 차이가 나타나지 않았다. 그러나 이미 해결한 단일개념상황들의 결합으로 만들어 전 복합개념상황의 문제해결에 있어서는 정신용량이 작은 집단에서만 실패한 학생들이 나타났으며 문제해결에 실패한 학생들의 정신용량이 문제해결에 성공한 학생들의 정신용량보다 낮았다. 이러한 연구 결과 단일개념상황은 해결할 수 있으면서 이와 관련된 복합개념상황의 해결에 실패한 이유의 하나를 문제해결자의 정신용량이 작기 때문이라고 볼 수 있다.