Problem Solving in East Africa: A Contextualised Approach to Defining the Construct

Problem solving is a term that describes a vast number of processes and applications. Countries in East Africa, as well as globally, are looking to equip their young people with problem-solving competencies, which are then hoped to resolve the major issues that all societies confront. Accordingly, it is one of the competencies included in curricula developed by East African education systems. The development of conceptual and assessment frameworks by the ALiVE team was contextualised through reference to recent research undertaken in the ALiVE participating countries. Aspects of this conceptualisation differ from those used in most large-scale assessments; and the ALiVE approach to design and development of the assessment was construct-driven. This means that the form of the assessment tasks, coding criteria, and intended reporting style, are determined by the substance of the construct and how visible signs of this substance might best be captured. The framework was developed through a realistic appraisal of what would be possible to assess at household level. In development of the assessment tool, three factors were considered: the nature of the construct itself; the medium through which the assessment would be conducted; and the use to which the assessment results would be put. The chapter describes the formal process followed in defining problem solving and developing its assessment tools. A set of six workshops attended by 47 representatives of the collaborating organisations structured the process of creation; initially engaging at a level of simplicity to ground differing understandings of the skill, and then moving to the complexity of test and scale development processes. The data from the large-scale assessment indicate that ALiVE’s measurement of problem solving is robust, with the results reflecting maturation with more education. This means that instructional time in the context of a general curriculum is providing a learning environment in which problem-solving processes can be nurtured.