Dispositional Predictors of Problem Solving in the Field of Office Work

It was investigated how domain-specific knowledge, fluid intelligence, vocational interest and work-related self-efficacy predicted domain-specific problem-solving performance in the field of office work. The participants included 100 German VET (vocational education and training) students nearing the end of a 3-year apprenticeship program as an industrial clerk (n = 63) which usually leads to a position in office work, lower or middle management, or a similar apprenticeship program to become IT-systems management assistants (n = 37). The participants worked on three computer-based problem scenarios dealing with operative controlling, a relevant domain to both training occupations, and completed further assessments to measure the variables listed above. Theoretical considerations, prior research and domain analyses suggested that industrial clerks would have greater domain-specific problem-solving competence (H1a) and domain-specific knowledge (H1b) than IT-systems management assistants and that domain-specific knowledge would be the strongest predictor of problem-solving competence (H2: “knowledge-is-power” hypothesis); all hypotheses were confirmed. Hypothesis 3, the “Elshout-Raaheim hypothesis,” predicts that fluid intelligence and problem-solving competence are most strongly correlated in the context of intermediate levels of task-related content knowledge, however the highest correlation was found in the group with low domain-specific knowledge. The findings suggest that intelligence plays a minor role in later stages of competence development whereas typical problem situations in later stages particularly require prior knowledge. The relationship of intelligence, knowledge and problem solving as well as limitations of the study, particularly weaknesses in the measurement of non-cognitive dispositions, are discussed.