Thirteen students (aged 11-12) were observed in detail whilst carrying
out a practical problem-solving activity in a normal classroom. The s
tudy shows that the way in which students went about solving the probl
em given was influenced by the apparatus supplied, observing what othe
r groups did with the apparatus, the ideas that the students brought t
o bear on the problem, and the the students' interpretation of the res
ults that they were collecting. How or whether the students reacted to
these cues depended on the extent to which they were engaged in solvi
ng the problem.