There is a substantial body of research on how individuals and groups solve problems in a
variety of educational settings. From the pioneering work of Polya (1957), Wertheimer (1959), and
Newel & Simon (1972) models have been developed that attempt to explain how individuals solve
problems. One such model that has been widely accepted is the IDEAL model for improving
problem solving skills proposed by Bransford & Stein (1993). The basic premise of this model is to
identify the basic components of the process of the problem solving process. In their model they