Mathematics instruction stressing heuristic processes has been the focus of several
studies. Kantowski (14) used heuristic instruction to enhance the geometry problem
solving performance of secondary school students. Wilson (50) and Smith (42) examined
contrasts of general and task specific heuristics. These studies revealed that task specific
hueristic instruction was more effective than general hueristic instruction. Jensen (12)
used the heuristic of subgoal generation to enable students to form problem solving plans.
He used thinking aloud, peer interaction, playing the role of teacher, and direct
instruction to develop students' abilities to generate subgoals.