Mastering problem serving tasks and acquiring skills: Studying with problem-oriented text models

This experimental study examined whether problem-oriented study texts resul t in learning that allows a broader application of the acquired knowledge s uch that it can be used to solve other problems. A group receiving structur e-oriented instruction and a control group were compared with subjects who had been given problem-oriented instruction. With regard to problem-solving tasks, it became apparent that the problem-oriented students were superior in a significant and relevant way to the comparison groups. However, there were no differences between the structure-oriented group and the control g roup. The group that received problem-oriented instruction did not perform more poorly on an additional test with knowledge tasks. Consequences arise for practical application, as do questions about the generalization of the results.