Efficacious people stick to a task until it is completed. They don't give up easily. They are
able to analyze a problem, to develop a system, structure, or strategy to attack a problem.
They employ a range and have repertoire of alternative strategies for problem solving. They
collect evidence to indicate their problem-solving strategy is working, and if one strategy
doesn't work, they know how to back up and try another. They recognize when a theory or
idea must be rejected and another employed. They have systematic methods of analyzing
a problem which include knowing how to begin, knowing what steps must be performed, and what data need
to be generated or collected. Because they are able to sustain a problem solving process over time, they
are comfortable with ambiguous situations.
Students often give up in despair when the answer to a problem is not immediately known. They sometimes
crumple their papers and throw them away saying, "I can't do this," "It's too hard," or, they write down any
answer to get the task over with as quickly as possible. Some have attention deficits; they have difficulty
staying focused for any length of time, they are easily distracted, they lack the ability to analyze a problem,
to develop a system, structure, or strategy of problem attack. They may give up because they have a
limited repertoire of problem solving strategies. If their strategy doesn't work, they give up because they
have no alternatives.