Chapter 17: Using Computer Games to Teach Adult Learners Problem Solving

Working in a professional environment has no shortage of problems and issues. Learning in a school setting is also full of challenges. Problem solving, therefore, is believed to be a critical life skill. According to O’Neil (1999), problem solving was considered a critical competency required of college students and employees. Likewise, Mayer (2002) pointed out that problem solving is one of the most significant competencies needed for success in educational and occupational settings. Not surprisingly, the development of problem-solving abilities has become an important goal of education (Hong & Liu, 2003).

While viewed by some as an analytical thinking process, problem solving is “cognitive processing directed at achieving a goal when no solution method is obvious to the problem solver” (Mayer & Wittrock, 1996, p. 47). It often requires that the problem solver go beyond simply employing previous knowledge to achieve the goal. Students need to learn to solve problems effectively by means of some innovative ideas. They need to apply this learned skill to solve real-world problems and become independent problem solvers. Therefore, providing consistent and high-quality instruction, assessment, and remediation for problem-solving skills is of great importance.