| National standards across the disciplines call for students who can successfully resolve problems. Literature is one vehicle for supporting interdisciplinary instruction. This study explores common traits of effective problem solving, and how these traits are portrayed in the literature written primarily for children in the intermediate (fourth, fifth, and sixth) grades. An analysis of five contemporary approaches to problem solving from across the disciplines (Creative Problem Solving, The Reflective Judgment Model, Interpersonal Cognitive Problem Solving, Habits of Mind, and I SOLVE) yields six traits of effective problem solving.; Children's literature provides vicarious experiences and opportunities for students to analyze the consequences of employing the six problem solving traits. Twenty school stories were analyzed using the processes of reader response and structural analysis to identify the portrayal of problem solving traits. This analysis indicates that effective problem solving traits are not clearly evident through characters' thoughts and actions.; The results of this study provide teachers with suggestions for creating discussion opportunities to maximize student understanding of effective problem solving. These suggestions include book selection and methods of grouping students to enhance their awareness of problem solving strategies. In addition, sample questions are included to support students' investigation of the influence characters' thoughts and actions have on their attempts to solve problems. |
