Knowledge connectedness in geometry problem solving

Our concern in this study was to examine the relationship between problem-s olving performance and the quality of the organization of students' knowled ge. We report findings on the extent to which content and connectedness ind icators differentiated between groups of high-achieving (HA) and low-achiev ing (LA) Year 10 students undertaking geometry tasks. The I-LA students' pe rformance on the indicators of knowledge connectedness showed that, compare d with the LA group, they could retrieve more knowledge spontaneously and c ould activate more:links among given knowledge schemas and related informat ion. Connectedness indicators were more influential than content indicators in differentiating the groups on the basis of their success in problem sol ving, The tasks used in the study provide straightforward ways for teachers to gain information about the organizational quality of students' knowledg e.