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.