This study was aimed to identify the relationship between problem solving skills, metacognitive awareness, and mathematics achievement as well as to identify the role of metacognitive awareness as a  mediator. This study involved a total of 333 Form Four students from ten secondary schools in Malaysia. Data were collected using questionnaires, while information about mathematics achievement was provided by the school management. Data were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. Results indicated that all variables correlated significantly with each other, while path analysis revealed the mediation effect of metacognitive awareness between problem solving skills and mathematics achievement. The findings suggest the importance of problem solving skills in influencing secondary school students’ mathematics achievement through the development of metacognitive awareness.

A number of studies show that both children and adults exhibit difficulties with problem-solving tasks. In fact, only one-third of adults reach the formal operational stage. Coaching such tasks in everybody’s language proves to be helpful only if the situation described is close to life events. The presented study confirmed the improvement in the thematic version of the Wason Test both in pupils and university students, albeit being far from spectacular. The authors suggest distinguishing a bounded type of thinking characterized by highly schematic, mechanistic, and automated thinking. They argue that it results both in educational and everyday failures.

This study aimed to explore a collaborative problem solving case using social media and an e-collaboration tool, and analyze its educational implications in a qualitative research method. For achieving the research goal, a case study was conducted in a middle school class. Two rounds of one-to-one interviews with a teacher and written interviews with students were conducted. In addition, relevant class resources and the students’ final reports were also collected as data. It was shown that using social media and an e-collaboration tool could encourage students’ scientific inquiries and enhance problem solving skills as well as set up a healthy communication culture among teachers and students.

The effect of Logo programming language on problem solving skills was investigated in this study. Eighty-five fifth-grade students were assigned to either an experimental or control Logo group. They were pre-tested to assess baseline receptiveness to figural and logical word problem-solving skills. After eight weeks of learning, the Logo experimental group had significantly higher scores than the control group on the problem-solving skills tests (assessing both figural and logical word problem-solving skills). The result revealed significant differences in the figural problem-solving skill between the Logo experimental and control groups. An implication was that Logo programming exercised skills are more critical and relevant to the figural problem-solving skill. Possible alternative explanations and suggestions are provided for future research endeavors.

Human capital, together with financial and material resources, is an important factor in the economy of society. Human capital can be defined in different ways, but knowledge, abilities, skills, competences, or literacy, in general, are essential parts. It can be said that literacy is the cornerstone of human capital. According to the basic principles of the theory of employment, factors such as education, gender, age, health, marital status, and emigration have a major impact on participation in the labour market. However, in scientific discourse, there is a strong emphasis on these factors and the importance of literacy. However, there is a lack of studies specifically analysing the links between literacy and participation in the labour market. In particular, it is important to analyse whether literacy is equally important for participation in the labour market in different regions and countries. This article analyses the link between participation in the labour market and literacy in the Central European region. Six Central European countries are analysed based on the International Survey of Adult Skills OECD PIAAC. An analysis of the main parameters showing how a person participates in the labour market suggests there is a link between a person’s literacy and their working status, type of employment contract, managerial position, and economic sector.

The current study aimed to explore the effect of regulatory Focus – Promotion vs. Prevention – in problem-solving among undergraduate students at The Hashemite University. The hypotheses were that promotion focus students outperform prevention focus students in ill-structured problems but underperform them in well-structured problems, and prevention focus students outperform promotion focus students in well-structured problems but underperform them in ill-structured problems. The participants (n=170) were allocated into four groups according to their mindsets and the problems assigned to them (promotion with ill-structured problems, promotion with well-structured problems, prevention with ill-structured problems, prevention with well-structured problems). After the groups solved all the assigned problems, their work was scored according to Measuring Problem Solving Instrument MPSI. The findings confirmed the hypothesis that the regulatory focus affects how problems are solved.

The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between the level of spouses’ Machiavellianism and tendency to use constructive and unconstructive problem-solving strategies in marital conflicts. The study involved 100 married couples. The participants completed Mach IV and the Problem-Solving Strategies Inventory in two versions: self-report and estimation of partner behaviours. Two exploratory path analyses were performed. The analysis of data coming from selfreports proved that Machiavellianism was positively associated with the tendency to use destructive strategies (Escalation and Withdrawal), and negatively with the use of constructive strategies (Loyalty and Dialogue). Higher Machiavellianism of women was related to less frequent use of Dialogue strategy by their husbands. The data obtained through estimations of partner behaviour showed that a higher level of Machiavellianism among husbands was related to their wives’ more frequent use of Escalation and Withdrawal, as well as to their less frequent use of Loyalty and Dialogue. The results support the assumption that Machiavellianism may be treated as a factor which makes constructive solving of matrimonial conflicts more difficult.

This research aims to examine how gifted students exert their metacognition in each problem-solving step while solving a problem. In this sense, the researchers gave four students of the 8th grade three mathematics problems. The data of the study was collected through clinical interviews. The voice recordings of the students during the problem solving process and the solutions they wrote on paper formed the data of the study. The findings show that gifted students display metacognitive behaviours in problem solving process intensity. It was also observed that gifted students display some metacognitive behaviours which had not been determined by researchers before. These behaviours are seen at the stage of looking back and they are revision of connections between topics which were learnt in the past after solving a problem and relaxation of brain in order to evaluate what has been done by thinking over alternative ways. The findings of the research are important in terms of determining how gifted students exert their metacognition in each problem-solving step.