Research Article
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The Relation Between Cognitive Processes and Problem-Solving Performances of Preschoolers

Year 2023, Volume: 16 Issue: 4, 887 - 902, 29.10.2023

Dilan Bayındır

https://doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.1342333

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the cognitive processing levels of preschool children and their problem-solving skills. The Cognitive Assessment System (CAS), developed by Naglieri and Das (1997) and adapted into Turkish by Ergin (2003), was used to determine the cognitive processing levels of children. A puzzle completion task was given to determine problem-solving strategies of the participant children. The age range of 21 children in the study group was between 5 and 6, with an average age of 5.61 months. According to the coding of the researcher 11 positive and 4 negative puzzle completion strategies that were used by children, were determined. A canonical correlation analysis was conducted using positive and negative strategies as predictors of problem-solving skills to evaluate the multivariate shared relationship between cognitive processes and problem-solving. The results indicated the explanatory percentage of the Planning dimension of cognitive processes on positive strategies was found to be higher than the Attention, Simultaneous and Successive dimensions.

Keywords

cognitive processes problem solving puzzle completion task canonical analysis.

Supporting Institution

This research was supported by the Scientific Research Projects Department of Balıkesir University

Project Number

Project No: 2018/142

References

  • Argelagós, E., & Pifarré, M. (2012). Improving information problem solving skills in secondary education through embedded instruction, Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 515–526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.10.024
  • Aslan, M. (2009). 5-6 yaş grubu çocuklarda bilişsel işlemler ile uyum ve davranış problemleri arasındaki ilişkinin bazı değişkenlere göre incelenmesi [Master's thesis, Maltepe University]. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
  • Berhenke, A., Miller, A. L., Brown, E., Seifer, R., & Dickstein, S. (2011). Observed emotional and behavioral indicators of motivation predict school readiness in Head Start Graduates. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26, 430–441. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2011.04.001.
  • Bingham, A. (2016). Çocuklarda problem çözme yeteneklerinin geliştirilmesi (F. Oğuzkan, Çev.). İstanbul: Milli Eğitim (1958).
  • Campos, J. J., Campos, R. G., & Barrett, K. C. (1989). Emergent themes in the study of emotional development and emotion regulation. Developmental Psychology, 25, 394–402. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.25.3.394
  • Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (2000). Origins and functions of positive and negative affect: A control-process view. In E. T. Higgins, & A. W. Kruglanski (Eds.), Motivational science: Social and personality perspectives (pp. 256–272). New York, NY: Psychology Press.
  • Chan, D. Y. K., & Fong, K. N. K. (2011). The effects of problem-solving skills training based on metacognitive principles for children with acquired brain injury attending mainstream schools: a controlled clinical trial, Disability and Rehabilitation, 33(21–22), 2023–2032. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2011.556207
  • Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education (6th ed.). London: Routledge.
  • Cole, P. M., Michel, M. K., & Teti, L. O. (1994). The development of emotion regulation and dysregulation: A clinical perspective. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 59, 73–283. https://doi.org/10.2307/1166139
  • Curran, P. J., West, S. G., & Finch, J. F. (1996). The robustness of test statistics to nonnormality and specification error in confirmatory factor analysis. Psychological Methods, 1(1), 16–29. https://doi. org/10.1037/1082-989X.1.1.16
  • Das, J. P. (2002). A better look at intelligence. Current directions in psychological science, 11(1), 28-33. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.0016
  • Das, J. P., Naglieri, J. A., & Kirby, J. R. (1994). Assessment of Cognitive Processes: The PASS Theory of Intelligence. Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon A Division of Simon ve Schuster Inc.
  • Dansky, J. L., & Silverman, I. W. (1973). Effects of play on associative fluency in preschool-aged children. Developmental Psychology, 9(1), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0035076
  • Davis, C. L., Tkacz, J. P., Tomporowski, P. D., & Bustamante, E. E. (2015). Independent associations of organized physical activity and weight status with children’s cognitive functioning: a matched-pairs design. Pediatric Exercise Science, 27(4), 477-487.
  • Doherty, M. J., Wimmer, M. C., Gollek, C., Stone, C., & Robinson, E. J. (2021). Piecing together the puzzle of pictorial representation: How jigsaw puzzles index metacognitive development. Child Development, 92(1), 205-221. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13391
  • Enerem, D. (2018). 60-72 ay arası çocuklarda erken okuryazarlık becerilerinin çeşitli değişkenler açısından incelenmesi [Master's thesis]. Maltepe University. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
  • Ergin, T. (2015). Görsel okuma programinin okul öncesi dönem hazirlik sinifi öğrencilerinin bilişsel işlem performanslari üzerine etkisi. Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences Journal, 1(2), 255-265.
  • Ergin, T. (2003). Bilişsel Değerlendirme Sistemi (Cognitive Assessment System - CAS) beş yaş çocukları üzerinde geçerlik, güvenirlik ve norm çalışması [Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis]. İstanbul: İstanbul University, Institude of Social Sciences.
  • Fagan, J. R. (2000). A theory of intelligence as processing: Implications for society. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 6, 168-179. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8971.6.1.168
  • Fagot, B. I. & Gauvain, M. (1997). Mother-Child problem solving: Continuity through the early childhood years. Developmental Psychology, 33(3), 480-488. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.33.3.480
  • Fessakis, G., Gouli, E., & Mavroudi, E. (2013). Problem solving by 5–6 years old kindergarten children in a computer programming environment: A case study. Computers & Education, 63, 87–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.11.016
  • Fleer, M. (1990). The value of jigsaw puzzles in early childhood education. Early Child Development and Care, 60, 73–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/0300443900600107
  • Gaiter, J. L., Morgan, G. A., Jennings, K. D., Harman, R. J., & Yarrow, L. (1982). Variety of cognitively-oriented caregiver activities: Relationships to cognitive and motivational functioning at 1 and 3.5 years of age. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 141, 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.1982.10533456
  • Kalyuga, S., & Hanham, J. (2011). Instructing in generalized knowledge structures to develop flexible problem solving skills. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 63–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.05.024
  • Kochanska, G., Murray, K. T., & Harlan, E. T. (2000). Effortful control in early childhood: Continuity and change, antecedents, and implications for social development. Developmental Psychology, 36, 220–232. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.36.2.220.
  • Kirova, A., & Bhargava, A. (2002). Learning to guide preschool children’s mathematical understanding: A teacher’s professional growth. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 4(1), Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED464764.pdf
  • Levine, S. C., Ratliff, K. R., Huttenlocher, J., & Cannon, J. (2012). Early puzzle play: A predictor of preschoolers’ spatial transformation skill. Developmental Psychology, 48, 530–542. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025913
  • Lloyd, B., & Howe, N. (2003). Solitary play and convergent and divergent thinking skills in preschool children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 18(1), 22–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2006(03)00004-8
  • Naglieri, J. A. (1999). Essentials of CAS assessment. New York: John Wiley ve Sons, Inc.
  • Naglieri, J. A., & Das, J. P. (2014). CAS-Açıklama el kitabı. (Trans. E. Tamer). Riverside Publishing.
  • Naglieri, J., & Bornstein, B. (2003). Intelligence and achievement: Just how correlated are they? Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 21, 244-260. doi: 10.1177/073428290302100302
  • Naglieri, J. A., & Das, J. P. (1997). Cognitive Assessment System interpretive handbook. Itasca, Illionis: Riverside Publishing.
  • Rubin, K. H. (1982). Nonsocial play in preschoolers: Necessarily evil? Child Development, 53(3), 651–657. https://doi.org/10.2307/1129376
  • Sherry, A., & Henson, R. K. (2005). Conducting and interpreting canonical correlation analysis in personality research: A use-friendly primer. Journal of Personality Assessment, 84(1), 37–48.
  • Sternberg, R. J. (1988). The triarchic mind: A new theory of human intelligence. New York: Viking.
  • Sternberg, R. J. (1981). Cognitive-behavioral approaches to the training of intelligence in the retarded. The Journal of Special Education, 15(2), 165-183. https://doi.org/10.1177/002246698101500207
  • Stewart, R. A., Rule, A. C., & Giordano, D. A. (2007). The effect of fine motor skill activities on kindergarten student attention. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35, 103-109.
  • Sun, J., & Rao, N. (2012). Scaffolding preschool children’s problem solving: A comparison between Chinese mothers and teachers across multiple tasks. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 10(3), 246-266. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X1141557
  • Sylva, K., Bruner, J. S., & Genova, P. (1976). The role of play in the problem-solving of children 3- to 5-years-of-age. In J. S. Bruner, A. Jolly, & K. Sylva (Eds.), Play-its role in development and evolution (pp. 24–257). New York: Basic Books.
  • Trawick-Smith, J., Russell, H., & Swaminathan, S. (2011). Measuring the effects of toys on the problem-solving, creative and social behaviours of preschool children. Early Child Development and Care, 181(7), 909-927. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2010.503892
  • Turner, J. C., Thorpe, P. K., & Meyer, D. K. (1998). Students’ reports of motivation and negative affect: A theoretical and empirical analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(4), 758–771. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.90.4.758
  • Young, C., Cartmill, E., Levine, S., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (2014, January). Gesture and speech input are interlocking pieces: The development of children’s Jigsaw Puzzle Assembly ability. In Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, Vol. 36, No. 36. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/ 3h2198h1

Year 2023, Volume: 16 Issue: 4, 887 - 902, 29.10.2023

Dilan Bayındır

https://doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.1342333

Abstract

Project Number

Project No: 2018/142

References

  • Argelagós, E., & Pifarré, M. (2012). Improving information problem solving skills in secondary education through embedded instruction, Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 515–526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.10.024
  • Aslan, M. (2009). 5-6 yaş grubu çocuklarda bilişsel işlemler ile uyum ve davranış problemleri arasındaki ilişkinin bazı değişkenlere göre incelenmesi [Master's thesis, Maltepe University]. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
  • Berhenke, A., Miller, A. L., Brown, E., Seifer, R., & Dickstein, S. (2011). Observed emotional and behavioral indicators of motivation predict school readiness in Head Start Graduates. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26, 430–441. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2011.04.001.
  • Bingham, A. (2016). Çocuklarda problem çözme yeteneklerinin geliştirilmesi (F. Oğuzkan, Çev.). İstanbul: Milli Eğitim (1958).
  • Campos, J. J., Campos, R. G., & Barrett, K. C. (1989). Emergent themes in the study of emotional development and emotion regulation. Developmental Psychology, 25, 394–402. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.25.3.394
  • Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (2000). Origins and functions of positive and negative affect: A control-process view. In E. T. Higgins, & A. W. Kruglanski (Eds.), Motivational science: Social and personality perspectives (pp. 256–272). New York, NY: Psychology Press.
  • Chan, D. Y. K., & Fong, K. N. K. (2011). The effects of problem-solving skills training based on metacognitive principles for children with acquired brain injury attending mainstream schools: a controlled clinical trial, Disability and Rehabilitation, 33(21–22), 2023–2032. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2011.556207
  • Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education (6th ed.). London: Routledge.
  • Cole, P. M., Michel, M. K., & Teti, L. O. (1994). The development of emotion regulation and dysregulation: A clinical perspective. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 59, 73–283. https://doi.org/10.2307/1166139
  • Curran, P. J., West, S. G., & Finch, J. F. (1996). The robustness of test statistics to nonnormality and specification error in confirmatory factor analysis. Psychological Methods, 1(1), 16–29. https://doi. org/10.1037/1082-989X.1.1.16
  • Das, J. P. (2002). A better look at intelligence. Current directions in psychological science, 11(1), 28-33. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.0016
  • Das, J. P., Naglieri, J. A., & Kirby, J. R. (1994). Assessment of Cognitive Processes: The PASS Theory of Intelligence. Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon A Division of Simon ve Schuster Inc.
  • Dansky, J. L., & Silverman, I. W. (1973). Effects of play on associative fluency in preschool-aged children. Developmental Psychology, 9(1), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0035076
  • Davis, C. L., Tkacz, J. P., Tomporowski, P. D., & Bustamante, E. E. (2015). Independent associations of organized physical activity and weight status with children’s cognitive functioning: a matched-pairs design. Pediatric Exercise Science, 27(4), 477-487.
  • Doherty, M. J., Wimmer, M. C., Gollek, C., Stone, C., & Robinson, E. J. (2021). Piecing together the puzzle of pictorial representation: How jigsaw puzzles index metacognitive development. Child Development, 92(1), 205-221. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13391
  • Enerem, D. (2018). 60-72 ay arası çocuklarda erken okuryazarlık becerilerinin çeşitli değişkenler açısından incelenmesi [Master's thesis]. Maltepe University. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
  • Ergin, T. (2015). Görsel okuma programinin okul öncesi dönem hazirlik sinifi öğrencilerinin bilişsel işlem performanslari üzerine etkisi. Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences Journal, 1(2), 255-265.
  • Ergin, T. (2003). Bilişsel Değerlendirme Sistemi (Cognitive Assessment System - CAS) beş yaş çocukları üzerinde geçerlik, güvenirlik ve norm çalışması [Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis]. İstanbul: İstanbul University, Institude of Social Sciences.
  • Fagan, J. R. (2000). A theory of intelligence as processing: Implications for society. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 6, 168-179. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8971.6.1.168
  • Fagot, B. I. & Gauvain, M. (1997). Mother-Child problem solving: Continuity through the early childhood years. Developmental Psychology, 33(3), 480-488. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.33.3.480
  • Fessakis, G., Gouli, E., & Mavroudi, E. (2013). Problem solving by 5–6 years old kindergarten children in a computer programming environment: A case study. Computers & Education, 63, 87–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.11.016
  • Fleer, M. (1990). The value of jigsaw puzzles in early childhood education. Early Child Development and Care, 60, 73–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/0300443900600107
  • Gaiter, J. L., Morgan, G. A., Jennings, K. D., Harman, R. J., & Yarrow, L. (1982). Variety of cognitively-oriented caregiver activities: Relationships to cognitive and motivational functioning at 1 and 3.5 years of age. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 141, 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.1982.10533456
  • Kalyuga, S., & Hanham, J. (2011). Instructing in generalized knowledge structures to develop flexible problem solving skills. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 63–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.05.024
  • Kochanska, G., Murray, K. T., & Harlan, E. T. (2000). Effortful control in early childhood: Continuity and change, antecedents, and implications for social development. Developmental Psychology, 36, 220–232. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.36.2.220.
  • Kirova, A., & Bhargava, A. (2002). Learning to guide preschool children’s mathematical understanding: A teacher’s professional growth. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 4(1), Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED464764.pdf
  • Levine, S. C., Ratliff, K. R., Huttenlocher, J., & Cannon, J. (2012). Early puzzle play: A predictor of preschoolers’ spatial transformation skill. Developmental Psychology, 48, 530–542. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025913
  • Lloyd, B., & Howe, N. (2003). Solitary play and convergent and divergent thinking skills in preschool children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 18(1), 22–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2006(03)00004-8
  • Naglieri, J. A. (1999). Essentials of CAS assessment. New York: John Wiley ve Sons, Inc.
  • Naglieri, J. A., & Das, J. P. (2014). CAS-Açıklama el kitabı. (Trans. E. Tamer). Riverside Publishing.
  • Naglieri, J., & Bornstein, B. (2003). Intelligence and achievement: Just how correlated are they? Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 21, 244-260. doi: 10.1177/073428290302100302
  • Naglieri, J. A., & Das, J. P. (1997). Cognitive Assessment System interpretive handbook. Itasca, Illionis: Riverside Publishing.
  • Rubin, K. H. (1982). Nonsocial play in preschoolers: Necessarily evil? Child Development, 53(3), 651–657. https://doi.org/10.2307/1129376
  • Sherry, A., & Henson, R. K. (2005). Conducting and interpreting canonical correlation analysis in personality research: A use-friendly primer. Journal of Personality Assessment, 84(1), 37–48.
  • Sternberg, R. J. (1988). The triarchic mind: A new theory of human intelligence. New York: Viking.
  • Sternberg, R. J. (1981). Cognitive-behavioral approaches to the training of intelligence in the retarded. The Journal of Special Education, 15(2), 165-183. https://doi.org/10.1177/002246698101500207
  • Stewart, R. A., Rule, A. C., & Giordano, D. A. (2007). The effect of fine motor skill activities on kindergarten student attention. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35, 103-109.
  • Sun, J., & Rao, N. (2012). Scaffolding preschool children’s problem solving: A comparison between Chinese mothers and teachers across multiple tasks. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 10(3), 246-266. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X1141557
  • Sylva, K., Bruner, J. S., & Genova, P. (1976). The role of play in the problem-solving of children 3- to 5-years-of-age. In J. S. Bruner, A. Jolly, & K. Sylva (Eds.), Play-its role in development and evolution (pp. 24–257). New York: Basic Books.
  • Trawick-Smith, J., Russell, H., & Swaminathan, S. (2011). Measuring the effects of toys on the problem-solving, creative and social behaviours of preschool children. Early Child Development and Care, 181(7), 909-927. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2010.503892
  • Turner, J. C., Thorpe, P. K., & Meyer, D. K. (1998). Students’ reports of motivation and negative affect: A theoretical and empirical analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(4), 758–771. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.90.4.758
  • Young, C., Cartmill, E., Levine, S., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (2014, January). Gesture and speech input are interlocking pieces: The development of children’s Jigsaw Puzzle Assembly ability. In Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, Vol. 36, No. 36. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/ 3h2198h1
There are 42 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Child Development Education
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Dilan Bayındır 0000-0002-6081-3690

Project Number Project No: 2018/142
Early Pub Date October 24, 2023
Publication Date October 29, 2023
Submission Date August 13, 2023
Published in Issue Year 2023 Volume: 16 Issue: 4

Cite

APA Bayındır, D. (2023). The Relation Between Cognitive Processes and Problem-Solving Performances of Preschoolers. Journal of Theoretical Educational Science, 16(4), 887-902. https://doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.1342333
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