A behavioral approach to building cognitive foundations for effective thought and action in a freshman critical thinking course

Problem Solving Approaches in Science and Technology is a James Madison University three-credit freshman-level General Education course in psychological dispositional skills and metacognitive processes that includes instruction, practice, and maintenance in a variety of dispositional skills, intentional behavior, and lifestyle modification that support effective thought and action in academia, the workplace, and students´ personal lives. Mean values of survey results of freshman students (n=118) of 1) perceived dispositional project and course value, 2) likelihood of continued use of acquired skills, and 3) perceived importance of these skills were positive and indicate the necessity of continued research into behavioral methodologies for teaching metacognitive skills.