EFFECTS OF THINKING ALOUD PAIR PROBLEM SOLVING ON THE TROUBLESHOOTING PERFORMANCE OF UNDERGRADUATE AGRICULTURE STUDENTS IN A POWER TECHNOLOGY COURSE

Abstract

A randomized, post-test only control group experimental design with a counter-balanced internal replication was used to determine the effects of thinking aloud pair problem solving (TAPPS) on the troubleshooting performance of college students in a power technology course. The experimental results were stable across two troubleshooting tasks. Students who participated in TAPPS groups were assigned a listening partner and verbalized their thought processes. They were significantly more successful (p < .05) at troubleshooting engine faults than were students in the work alone control groups. Among students who successfully completed the troubleshooting tasks across both groups, there were no significant differences in time required for completion. These findings indicate that the use of thinking aloud pair problem solving may be an important step in the development of metacognitive skills among students in technological troubleshooting.