The potential of computer-supported collaboration and knowledge awareness for supporting analogical problem solving

The present experimental study investigates the impact of computer-supported collaboration and knowledge awareness regarding the source problems the collaboration partner has remembered on analogical problem solving. Collaborating dyads with an external representation for supporting knowledge awareness were compared to collaborating dyads without such an external representation and to a baseline of nominal dyads. Collaborating dyads were less efficient in analogical problem solving than nominal dyads. Theoretical Background and Research Questions Analogical problem solving as a central learning mechanism can be defined as transferring the entire solution process or parts of it from a previous source problem to a new target problem from a more or less disparate domain (Hesse & Klecha, 1990). Individuals, especially novices, often have difficulties in identifying structural correspondences between source problems and target problems, as they mainly focus on surface similarities. Therefore, in the present project, it is assumed that mutual explanation during collaboration on an external representation may stimulate a deeper level of processing, and thus may foster identification of structural correspondences between source problem and target problem (Schwartz, 1995). Furthermore, it is assumed that the postulated positive impact of computer-supported collaboration on analogical problem solving may be amplified by providing an innovative form of group awareness, i.e., knowledge awareness (cf., Engelmann & Tergan, 2007). In this project, it is assumed that knowledge awareness can be achieved by showing each collaborator the text editor window of his collaboration partner, displaying the source problem the partner has remembered as solution relevant for a target problem, respectively. Providing an external representation of the collaboration partner’s knowledge allows for a visual comparison of remembered source problems which could result in a higher salience of solution relevant features of the source problems that otherwise may not be identified by both collaboration partners (cf., Suthers, 2001).