<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Why and how is the Gestalt theorists’ concept of <italic>productive thinking</italic> particularly suitable for being applied to the educational question of how student motivation can be encouraged, thus providing an important condition for self-regulated, intrinsically motivated learning?An answer to this question has been sought using an approach to the fostering of text comprehension ability, based upon the features specific to productive thinking, originally identified by <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="j_gth-2018-0013_ref_036_w2aab3b7b2b1b6b1ab1ac36Aa">Wertheimer (1945)</xref> and <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="j_gth-2018-0013_ref_009_w2aab3b7b2b1b6b1ab1ab9Aa">Duncker (1935)</xref>.Firstly, these specific features are dealt with and their educational implications compared with those deriving from the definitions of <italic>problem-solving</italic> used most frequently in educational research. Secondly, an analysis is made of the process by which the features specific to productive thinking are turned into the conditions for a kind of text analysis suitable for designing an instructional project aimed at enhancing text comprehension ability and, at the same time, encouraging intrinsic motivation and self-regulation on the part of the learner. Thirdly, an educational project centred on the thinking-aloud poor reader is described, where <italic>thinking aloud</italic> and <italic>reflection–response</italic> are combined in order to guarantee the maximum level of intrinsic motivation. In the concluding section, the most important features of the project are discussed in relation to <italic>reciprocal teaching</italic> and <italic>scaffolding</italic>.</abstract>

Why and how is the Gestalt theorists’ concept of productive thinking particularly suitable for being applied to the educational question of how student motivation can be encouraged, thus providing an important condition for self-regulated, intrinsically motivated learning?An answer to this question has been sought using an approach to the fostering of text comprehension ability, based upon the features specific to productive thinking, originally identified by Wertheimer (1945) and Duncker (1935).Firstly, these specific features are dealt with and their educational implications compared with those deriving from the definitions of problem-solving used most frequently in educational research. Secondly, an analysis is made of the process by which the features specific to productive thinking are turned into the conditions for a kind of text analysis suitable for designing an instructional project aimed at enhancing text comprehension ability and, at the same time, encouraging intrinsic motivation and self-regulation on the part of the learner. Thirdly, an educational project centred on the thinking-aloud poor reader is described, where thinking aloud and reflection–response are combined in order to guarantee the maximum level of intrinsic motivation. In the concluding section, the most important features of the project are discussed in relation to reciprocal teaching and scaffolding.

Productive Thinking in Place of Problem-Solving?

Department of Life Sciences, Psychology Unit “Gaetano Kanizsa”

Gestalt Theory

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Suggestions for Associating Productive Thinking with Text Comprehension Fostering

Why and how is the Gestalt theorists’ concept of productive thinking particularly suitable for being applied to the educational question of how student...

Productive Thinking in Place of Problem-Solving?

Published Online: Jul 17, 2018

Page range: 131 - 148

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/gth-2018-0013

Keywords
Text Comprehension, Problem Solving, Intrinsic Motivation, Student-Centred Instruction, Self-Regulation, Aloud Thinking, Reflection–Response

© 2018 Lucia Lumbelli, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Productive Thinking in Place of Problem-Solving?

Published Online: Jul 17, 2018

Page range: 131 - 148

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/gth-2018-0013

KeywordsText Comprehension, Problem Solving, Intrinsic Motivation, Student-Centred Instruction, Self-Regulation, Aloud Thinking, Reflection–Response

© 2018 Lucia Lumbelli, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Text Comprehension, Problem Solving, Intrinsic Motivation, Student-Centred Instruction, Self-Regulation, Aloud Thinking, Reflection–Response