Sensemaking and metacognitive prompting in ill-structured problems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a set of generic prompting principles and a framework of prompts that have the potential to foster learning and skill acquisition among adult novices when performing complex, ill-structured problems. Design/methodology/approach – Relevant research in the literatures surrounding problem structure, sensemaking, expertise, metacognition, scaffolding, and cognitive load were reviewed and synthesised in order to derive generic prompting principles and guidelines for their implementation. Findings – A framework of generic principles and prompts is proposed. Differentiation between prompts supporting cognition either within, or after an ill-structured problem-solving task was supported. Practical implications – Prompts such as those proposed in the framework developed presently can be designed into technology-enhanced learning environments in order to structure and guide the cognitive processes of novices. In addition, prompts can be combined with other learning ...