Introductory physics courses have also been taught successfully with an
approach for problem solving that begins with a qualitative hierarchical analy
sis of the problems (Leonard et al., 1996). Undergraduate engineering students
were instructed to write qualitative strategies for solving problems
before attempting to solve them (based on Chi et al., 1981). The strategies
consisted of a coherent verbal description of how a problem could be solved
and contained three components: the major principle to be applied; the
justification for why the principle was applicable; and the procedures for
applying the principle. That is, the what, why, and how of solving the
problem were explicitly delineated