Using contents and containers to investigate problem solving stra

University of Northern Iowa UNI ScholarWorks Dissertations and Theses @ UNI Student Work 2016 Using Contents and Containers to investigate problem solving strategies among toddlers Zaid Alkouri University of Northern Iowa Let us know how access to this document benefits you Copyright ©2016 Zaid Alkouri Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.edu/etd Part of the Educational Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Alkouri, Zaid, "Using Contents and Containers to investigate problem solving strategies among toddlers" (2016). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI.edu/etd/248 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Work at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses @ UNI by an authorized administrator of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@uni.

Copyright by ZAID ALKOURI 2016 All Rights Reserved USING CONTENTS AND CONTAINERS TO INVESTIGATE PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES AMONG TODDLERS An Abstract of a Dissertation Submitted In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Approved: _______________________________________ Dr. Radhi Al-Mabuk, Committee Chair _______________________________________ Dr. Dhanwada Dean of the Graduate College Zaid Alkouri University of Northern Iowa May 2016 ABSTRACT This study focused on the use of problem-solving strategies among toddlers using a qualitative research approach, and more specifically the case-study research design. The following three research questions were investigated: (1) What behaviors do toddlers exhibit as they begin their exploration with Contents and Containers?; (2a) What intrapersonal differences, if any, do toddlers display in their problem-solving approaches with Contents and Containers materials over the ten-session period?; and (2b) What interpersonal differences, if any, do the three toddlers display in their problem-solving approaches with Contents and Containers materials over the ten-session period? The participants of this study consisted of three toddlers ages 18, 21, and 23 months who attended a daycare center in a mid-size town in a Midwestern state.

The toddlers interacted freely with Contents and Containers, which is an open-ended curriculum using commonly available materials including plastic containers of various sizes. The researcher analyzed existing data in the form of video recordings of the toddlers using materials twice each week for five weeks, yielding ten one-hour long sessions. The toddlers had been videotaped for a research project conducted by an early childhood center affiliated with a state university. Findings from this study indicated that toddlers’ problem-solving included a range of behaviors such as exploration, repetition, experimentation and finding solutions through strategies such as trial and error and means-ends analysis.

Changes in problem- solving strategy use, namely from trial and error to means-ends analysis were observed both within and between the toddlers over the ten-session period. There were also themes that emerged from this study about problem solving including intentionality, competence, curiosity, perseverance, and reciprocal interaction between play and skills. Implications for parents, daycare providers and preschool teachers for fostering and supporting problem-solving thinking and behavior among toddlers are provided. Also, recommendations for future research directions to build upon and extend the findings of the present study are offered.

USING CONTENTS AND CONTAINERS TO INVESTIGATE PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES AMONG TODDLERS A Dissertation Submitted In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Approved: ____________________________________________ Dr. Radhi Al-Mabuk, Chair ___________________________________________ Dr. Jill Uhlenberg, Co-Chair ___________________________________________ Dr. Bill Callahan, Committee Member ___________________________________________ Dr.

Suzanne Freedman, Committee Member Zaid Alkouri University of Northern Iowa May 2016 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Completing this dissertation would not have been possible without the help and continued support of my family, committee members, and friends. It is therefore befitting to express gratitude to them all. I begin by thanking my parents for their unconditional love and support throughout my life and for instilling in me the love for learning and value of hard work. To my dear wife, I say thank you for your unremitting support and patience while I was enduring the ups and downs of the demands of graduate school especially during the long dissertation phase.

I am truly unable to express in words my heart-felt appreciation for your limitless understanding and abundant encouragement. This dissertation would not have been started, let alone completed, without your encouragement, gentle support, and faith in me. To my dear daughters, Salma & Reem, I dedicate this dissertation as they taught me much about how children solve problems—and above all how to love! Deep thanks to my wonderful brothers and sisters. Also, a very special thank you to my father-in-law, Abu Belal, and mother-in- law, Um Belal, for your support and encouragement.

This dissertation project would not have been possible without the gentle guidance and support of my advisor and dissertation chair, Dr. Radhi Al-Mabuk. I will never forget your kind support, encouragement, and fine example. You have been by my side since I started my master degree patiently guiding, supporting, assisting, and encouraging me.

Thank you my dear advisor and chair for your professionalism, expertise, attention to detail, sensitivity, skill, concern, and, above all, friendship. Also, a iii genuine thank you to my dissertation co-chair, Dr. Jill Uhlenberg, who has generously given much of her time and expertise throughout the writing of this dissertation. Thank you for your patience and understanding and for supporting me while in the doctoral program.

A special thank you to Dr. Callahan who has been so supportive of me since I came to UNI through offering me a graduate assistantship when I started my master of arts education program at UNI, and throughout the dissertation process. Special thanks also go to my professor, Dr. Suzanne Freedman, who willingly agreed to join the committee in a very short notice.

Thank you, Dr. Freedman, for your kind support and input into my dissertation. Acknowledgements to the committee would not be complete without expressing sincere thanks to Dr. Betty Zan who has supported and guided me during my work as a graduate assistant at the Regent Center and for invaluable insights into the different chapters of this dissertation.

I would like to thank all my colleagues at the Regent Center for their friendship, mentoring, support, and for allowing me to use a gathered set of data for my study. Thank you especially to Dr. Zan and Dr. A special thank you goes to my dear friend Harun Parpucu who has been a solid source of support and encouragement since we started graduate school at UNI in the fall of 2008.

I would like to also express my gratitude to my friend Chris Neuhaus from the staff at Rod Library at UNI who selflessly gave of his time and expertise throughout my dissertation journey. These acknowledgements would not be complete without expressing my heart-felt gratitude to Janet Witt, who offered helpful editorial and iv formatting assistance that made the manuscript more organized and easier to read. Thank you Janet for all your help and kind guidance. For you all: my beloved family, esteemed dissertation committee members and dear friends, I am so very grateful for all you have done for me.

I shall forever be indebted to you. Thank you! For you all: my beloved family, esteemed dissertation committee members and dear friends, I am so very grateful for all you have done for me. I shall forever be indebted to you. Thank you! v TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE LIST OF TABLES .1 Statement of the Problem .2 Significance of the Problem .5 Definition of Terms.8 Research Questions /Hypotheses.10 Organization of the Study.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE .12 Definitions of Problem Solving .12 Theories of Problem Solving .15 Information-Processing Model .19 The Early Conceptions Approach .22 vi Process of Problem Solving .23 Problem-Solving Strategies .24 Types of Problems .25 Developmental Changes in Problem Solving Ability .27 Review of Related Studies .30 Constructivism and Toddlers .34 Obstacles to Problem Solving Among Toddlers .40 Participants and Study Materials .40 Coding and Instrument .45 Inter-Rater Reliability .46 Research Design, Data Collection and Analysis.48 vii Data Collection. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .56 Summary of Session 1 .58 Summary of Session 2 .61 Summary of Session 4 .63 Summary of Session 5 .66 Summary of Session 6 .69 Summary of Session 8 .70 Summary of Session 9 .71 viii Summary of Session 10 .72 Toddler 1 Summary Table Description.73 Research Question 2a for Toddler 1 .80 Summary of Session 1 .83 Summary of Session 2 .85 Summary of Session 3 .86 Summary of Session 4 .88 Summary of Session 5 .89 Summary of Session 6 .90 Summary of Session 7 .91 Summary of Session 9 .94 ix Summary of Session 10 .94 Research Question 2a for Toddler 2 .99 Summary of Session 1 .106 Summary of Session 2 .108 Summary of Session 3 .112 Summary of Session 4 .115 Summary of Session 6 .116 Summary of Session 7 .119 Summary of Session 8 .120 Summary of Session 9 .120 Summary of Session 10 .121 x Research Question 2a for Toddler 3 .125 Emerging Themes from the Study .136 Reciprocal Interaction of Play and Skills. IMPLICATIONS, LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS.143 Limitations of the Study.149 APPENDIX A: CODING INSTRUMENT .157 APPENDIX B: LIST OF MATERIALS.159 xi LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1 Criteria of the Strategies .76 3 Problem-Solving Type: Toddler 1 .95 5 Problem-Solving Type: Toddler 2 .121 7 Problem-Solving Type: Toddler 3 .122 8 Integrative Problem-Solving Type for the Three Toddlers.126 9 Cycle of Learning .136 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION As toddlers develop physically, socially, and emotionally, they are also making big strides in their ability to think and solve problems as well as communicate with those around them. Toddlers’ inborn thirst to understand things and propensity to solve problems can easily be observed during play, which is their way to find out about and explore their world., Piaget, 1965) have long pointed out that toddlers learn about their world through sensory experience.

Children naturally explore the world around them and experiment with objects they encounter with their eyes, ears, noses, mouths, and hands in order to make sense of and organize their world. Toddlers wonder what things are called, how they work, and why things happen. The toddler, in a sense, acts like a miniature scientist—loves to conducts “experiments” with cause and effect. Like scientists, they also do not believe results the first time they try something—they repeat and repeat to see if results are consistent.

The daily-life settings become their laboratory in which they carry out their experiments. For example, while sitting down for a meal, toddlers will experiment with their food, mashing and squishing it with their fingers, throwing it repeatedly around from their highchairs, and watching what will happen (DeAngelis, 2014). This natural way of learning presents parents and early childhood educators with the opportunity to nurture children’s curiosity and support their natural tendency to inquire, explore, and solve problems. Promoting and fostering toddlers’ sense of curiosity about the natural world around them can engender a lifelong 2 interest in it.

The aim of this study is to investigate problem-solving strategies toddlers (18 to 23 months of age) use during free play with contents and containers. Statement of the Problem Problem solving is an important skill that develops in a variety of ways early in life. Toddlers have an innate desire to explore their worlds, and during their exploration, they often encounter many ways that could help them in their quest for knowledge and skills (Babbington, 2003, 2006). Toddlers’ problem solving skills and competence develop through actively engaging in experiences, and they need the opportunity to solve the problems they encounter on their own.

The natural exploration of toddlers can be fostered or impeded by adults depending on what they do for or to toddlers. Toddlers see the adults in their surroundings, like parents, daycare providers, and early-childhood educators, as both magical and all powerful (Lansbury, 2014). Adults can create or deprive toddlers of the opportunity to solve problems by what they do.