Mental processes underlying STEM problem solving in exceptional and typically developing children

What mental processes do children spontaneously engage when facing STEM problems? The question is under-researched not only in exceptional children with autism (ASD) and high intelligence (HI) but also in typically developing children with normal intelligence (NI). This study examined some spontaneous mental processes behind STEM problem solving in NI, ASD, and HI students and the association between these processes and performance. One hundred and forty Hong Kong 5th and 6th graders verbalized their thoughts and emotions while doing simple physics experiments in a STEM lesson and were subsequently tested on a physics quiz. Their verbalizations were coded into cognitive, metacognitive, emotional, and task-unrelated processes. Results showed that the HI group used more cognitive strategies and engaged in fewer task-unrelated processes than the NI and ASD groups. They also outperformed their peers on the quiz. The NI and ASD students did not differ in mental processes and quiz performance. Quiz performance correlated positively with the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies and negatively with task-unrelated thought involvement. The present study provides evidence for differential involvements of mental processes among students with diverse backgrounds in solving STEM problems and a general relation between these processes and learning outcome.