Poor Problem-solving Skills

The teachers mentioned that students’ poor problem-solving skills were associated with: (a) inability to apply knowledge learned, (b) limited application questions. This finding is consistent with a report that has been published by the MOE (2012) indicating poor performance of Malaysian students in mathematics for the international assessments. The report states that Malaysian students are not proficient in the application of knowledge in solving problems.

a. Inability to apply knowledge learned

According to the teachers (i.e. Teacher A and B), the education system placed less emphasis on knowledge transfer. For instance, the teachers used the words

straightforward and straight to describe the students’ inability to solve non-routine

problems. The teachers said,

Our questions are more straightforward to the point la… That means when they are asked, they can answer; asked, they can answer. But right now, when you are talking about something different situation, give the students a situation and you expect them to answer, definitely they cannot (Teacher A).

Students are quite straight. They don’t see can modify the question to get the final answer (Teacher B).

The words straightforward and straight in this context would indicate that students could not apply what they had learned (i.e. routine problem-solving) to solve new and unfamiliar problems (i.e. non-routine problem).

This usually happens when students do not understand a particular lesson and they learn the routine problem-solving as an isolated skill (Carpenter and Lehrer, 1999). The students may have mastered the basic cognitive skills but they do not have the

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ability to organise and control the basic skills to solve non-routine problems (Mayer, 1998). Mathematics requires understanding and application of mathematical processes (i.e. not just computation) to enable transfer of knowledge.

In computer games, however, learning is transferable. In a single game, players are required to use the skills and strategies gained from the previous level and this knowledge is often applicable to other games or the entire genre (Becker, 2005). Games usually provide proper guidance and practice to ensure that the knowledge learned is transferable.

Learners are given ample support for an opportunity to practice transferring what they have learned earlier to later problems, including problems that require adapting and transforming that earlier learning

(Gee, 2007, p.142).

Very often, challenges given in games are new and unpredictable (i.e. non-routine), yet the players see the underlying similarities and differences between previous gaming experience and the current problems in the games. To enable transfer, players can recall and adapt the experience that they has obtained earlier in the games or even other games, or try something entirely new. As games progress, players usually have sufficient practice and the gaming skills are mastered and routinised. When they face a new challenge in games, players have to transfer the prior knowledge to mix with an innovation to enable problem-solving (Gee, 2007).

This innovation could correspond to the metacognitive skills in mathematics learning because solving of non-routine problems in mathematics requires metacognitive skills (Mayer, 1998). This could imply that good computer games support learning of metacognitive skills.

b. Limited application questions

Two teachers pointed out that the design of the mathematics curriculum did not focus on the application of mathematics concepts. The teachers said,

Our syllabus more of just maths only. No application. Very few topics got application daily life…very few. Mostly are just solving problem. Just mathematically only. Just like giving you an equation, a simple problem… Only certain topic will have application like linear programming application, they have solving problem; find the maximum profit (Teacher D).

Because of the syllabus. Our syllabus is more rigid. Students learned whatever taught by the teachers. Students are lack of exposure in problem-solving or application questions [Translated from Mandarin] (Teacher E).

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These two teachers believed that the current mathematics curriculum mainly equipped students with routine problem-solving skills. Under the existing curriculum, students might presume that mathematics only involved memorisation and drill-and- practice of routine algorithm. The teachers strongly believed that more application questions should be included in the existing mathematics curriculum. Based on their descriptions, the application questions were most likely referring to non-routine problems.

These application questions, however, could be too abstract and unrealistic for the students to comprehend. In the conventional classroom teaching, most of the learning instructions occur outside of the contexts (Van Eck, 2006). Furthermore, students are not dealing with their own problems but someone’s else problems (Pea, 1987). For instance, students may find it difficult to distinguish the difference between speed and

acceleration merely through reading.

In computer games, however, the learning is situated within the learning context. In games, players are presented with pseudo-reality situations, and practice within the gaming contexts (Van Eck, 2006; Kebritchi and Hirumi, 2008). Furthermore, players usually recognise the significance of the problems in games because the problems are relevant and meaningful to them. They are solving their own problems and the gaming environment allows them to learn through exploration, and trial and error. For instance, when playing the Need for Speed, a player may implicitly learn speed and acceleration. In the game, there are car statistics that show the acceleration and top speed of a car. To race on a long straight road, the player may choose a car with better top speed, whereas to drift through corners, the player may choose a car with higher acceleration. Learning in games is more tangible and realistic because players can see the consequences of their decisions in the virtual reality.