Learning Difficulties in School Science‐‐Towards a Working Hypothesis

Summaries English In an attempt to explain success and failure in problem‐solving by science students, the authors suggest that problem‐solving ability is associated with students’ ability to organize or ‘chunk’ the information provided in a problem into memorizable patterns. In line with general psychological findings, a short‐term memory capacity of 7 ± 2 chunks is accepted. If the short‐term memory is overloaded with too many pieces of information, the processing of this information (and, hence, effective problem‐solving) cannot take place unless such information can be effectively chunked. This hypothesis, which is derived from research studies, is exemplified by reference to chemical problems and its educational implications are discussed.