Summary
This article presents a joint vision with studies about knowledge bases and cognitive processes implied in problem solving, and how these affect students’ performance as they solve problems. The knowledge base discusses declarative, procedural, strategic, situational, and schematic knowledge. Within cognitive processes, formal reasoning, mental model construction, knowledge transference, and meta-cognition are discussed. From all this, a series of institutional measures that can be applied in the science classroom are recommended.

Key words author
Science Education, Problem Solving, Knowledge Base, Cognitive Processes, Institutional Measures

Key words plus
Cognitive Processes, Teaching Methods, Problem Solving, Science Education

Transference to practice
In order to solve science problems, students must have an appropriate knowledge base and know the cognitive processes that take place. Some of the measures that can be suggested to improve problem solving training are: understand the concepts implied; develop abilities in scientific reasoning; stimulate qualitative comprehension of the problem; explain the role of the meta-cognitive processes during problem solving; decrease the mental demand of the problem; use external representations of the problem; work in groups; use adequate instructional texts; and reduce the memory load in educational activities.