Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / In the 21st century the nature of work and life has become characterized by unavoidable changes. These changes are brought about by various environmental, social and technological developments or unforeseen occurrences. It has become more challenging for economies, countries and organizations to bounce back from these volatile fluctuations in all markets and industries (Martine & Alves, 2015). Examples of the above-mentioned changes is emphasized by Wales (2013) who identified that trends such as climate change, globalization and social inequality have created a significant challenge to the traditional business model. The “credit crunch”, corporate scandals and possible corruption have led to a loss of trust in business, and companies are facing pressures from governments, consumers, employees and investors to demonstrate that they are adopting ethical and sustainable business practices (Pfeffer, 2015). Similarly, Martine and Alves (2015) question whether the economy, society and environment in the 21st century are indeed the three pillars of sustainability. These factors highlight the importance of critically discussing factors surrounding economic growth and the sustainability thereof.

Problem solving at the crossroads between chemistry and mathematics presents significant challenges for students at all levels of education. This licentiate thesis aims to enhance our understanding of such problem solving, with a focus on how university students approach problems in the context of chemical kinetics. The thesis is based on two papers. The video data analysed in these papers were collected from problem-solving sessions where second-year chemistry students worked in pairs to solve tasks centred around a key concept in chemical kinetics. The first paper aimed to develop a framework suitable for analysing problem solving at the interface of chemistry and mathematics. Deductive and inductive analysis of the collected video data resulted in the extended mathematical modelling cycle (MMC). This empirically derived framework offers a fine-grained picture of the processes and resources at play during problem solving in chemical kinetics, suggesting that students: (1) engage in a range of (sub)processes beyond those typically outlined in the classical MMC; and (2) employ extra-mathematical resources (EMRs) in all stages of the MMC. The EMRs can be divided into chemical and other resources. While chemical resources are essential in translating chemical information into mathematical relationships, they also play a crucial role during mathematical work, offering guidance to the mathematical operations. The purpose of the second paper was to further characterise the nature and roles of other resources. Findings suggest that other resources can be divided into: implicit models of results, explicit examples from experience, and superficial procedural resources. Analysing their roles in problem solving revealed that implicit models primarily influence students’ ideas of where they are going, while explicit examples and superficial procedural resources provide a basis of strategies for how to get there.