Problem solving: an assessment of student attitudes, expectations, and beliefs

We describe a study of student attitudes, expectations, and beliefs about problem solving in the electrical engineering technology classroom as they relate to learning strategies for problem solving based examinations. We have developed an assessment instrument which asks students to respond to four kinds of items: their expectations about problem solving; their strategies for preparing for exams; their self-assessment of their problem solving skills; and their appreciation of mathematics, physics, algebra word problems, and puzzles. Student responses were analyzed statistically to determine if there were any significant relationships among the items