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1 reference
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- Vol 1 RE: Chapters 2, 4, 5, 6, App B
- Vol 1 TE: App A
expertise in problem solvingdomain-specific knowledgeproblem representationdeep structural principlesqualitative analysisknowledge schemassurface-feature recognitionBook chapter Evidence summaryAt a glance
Chi, Glaser, and Rees synthesise research on expertise in problem solving, with particular attention to how knowledge is organised and used. Experts do not merely possess more facts or apply a general superior reasoning ability.
Key ideas
They recognise meaningful patterns, represent problems through deep domain principles, retrieve connected procedures efficiently, and use qualitative analysis to constrain a solution before calculating. Their advantages are largely domain-specific and arise from extensive structured knowledge and experience. Novices more often attend to surface features, search less selectively, and lack schemas that connect conditions with productive actions. Expertise can also bring limitations when familiar patterns are applied rigidly.
Why it matters
For educators, the chapter supports developing richly connected disciplinary knowledge, comparing surface-diverse problems with common structures, modelling problem representation and planning, and giving learners varied practice that helps them recognise when and why a principle applies.
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What it contributes
Evidence summaries explain the central idea and why the source matters to educators.
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Edition abbreviations
- TE
- Teacher Edition
- PE
- Practice Edition
- RE
- Research Edition
Citation checks
References are checked against publisher records, scholarly indexes, DOI or ISBN metadata, repositories and author records where available. An entry marked [Citation not verified] preserves the wording found in the relevant volume without attributing findings to an unconfirmed work.
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