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The role of self-questioning : an initial study on problem solving in a security organisation
Author
Ng, Koa Heng
Supervisor
Lee, Chwee Beng
Abstract
Workplaces are often rich sources that offer problems especially for novices to improve their expertise. Self-questioning play an important role as a potential resource in meaning learning and problem solving. In this experimental study, the effects of self-questioning techniques on problem solving and metacognition for ill-structured workplace problems were examined. Using two-stage cluster sampling, participants were randomly selected from a population of novices working in a security organisation to form a single pre-post test experimental group.
The independent variable was the strategy training in self-questioning techniques, structuring around the IDEAL model, for problem solving. The dependent variable metacognition was made up of two constructs i.e. knowledge about cognition and regulation of cognition. These were measured by using the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory while overall problem solving performance was determined by assessing the participants’ reasoning and the resulting consequences of their decision (outcome performance) in the pre and post tests.
The quantitative results revealed that the intervention had significant positive effects on the novices’ reasoning performance, outcome performance and overall problem solving performance. On the other hand, the mean differences between the pre and post tests’ knowledge about cognition, regulation of cognition and metacognition were not statistically significant. The level of correlation between reasoning performance and outcome performance was enhanced from medium (before the intervention) to high (after the intervention). However, the correlation between problem solving and metacognition was not statistically significant and not conclusive due to potential limitations in the study.
Overall, this study has demonstrated that self- questioning can help novices in a security organisation to scaffold their problem solving process, explore their solutions and advance their thinking when solving ill-structured workplace problems.
The independent variable was the strategy training in self-questioning techniques, structuring around the IDEAL model, for problem solving. The dependent variable metacognition was made up of two constructs i.e. knowledge about cognition and regulation of cognition. These were measured by using the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory while overall problem solving performance was determined by assessing the participants’ reasoning and the resulting consequences of their decision (outcome performance) in the pre and post tests.
The quantitative results revealed that the intervention had significant positive effects on the novices’ reasoning performance, outcome performance and overall problem solving performance. On the other hand, the mean differences between the pre and post tests’ knowledge about cognition, regulation of cognition and metacognition were not statistically significant. The level of correlation between reasoning performance and outcome performance was enhanced from medium (before the intervention) to high (after the intervention). However, the correlation between problem solving and metacognition was not statistically significant and not conclusive due to potential limitations in the study.
Overall, this study has demonstrated that self- questioning can help novices in a security organisation to scaffold their problem solving process, explore their solutions and advance their thinking when solving ill-structured workplace problems.
Date Issued
2009
Call Number
HD30.29 Ng
Date Submitted
2009