Background/purpose. The strategic goal of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) literacy is to develop scientifically and technologically equipped global citizens who are innovators and problem-solvers in a rapidly changing world. The study contributes to this goal by drawing pedagogical implications from examining college…

This study examined how word-problem characteristics influenced students' learning and retention of word-problem knowledge during and after an intervention. The participants were 221 fourth-grade students (average age at pretest = 8.8 years) who experienced word-problem difficulties (WPD) and had received a word-problem intervention in third…

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify and evaluate the effects of individual characteristics associated with mathematical word problem-solving skills among elementary school-aged children and to unpack the quality of studies investigating these associations. The systematic review was reported according to the…

This qualitative review aims to describe the current status of problem-based learning (PBL) implementation in mathematics and identify research gaps in the area of investigation. Literature was searched using the ERIC and Google Scholar search engines. The inclusion/exclusion criteria included: articles published in reputable journals in English…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a number line intervention with supported self-explanation on student understanding of fraction magnitude and quality of explanation. Participants were three U.S. middle school students with significant behavior problems. Participants were given eight lessons containing explicit instruction…

Being able to understand, interpret, and critically evaluate data is necessary for all individuals in our society. Using the PreK-12 Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education-II (GAISE-II; Bargagliotti et al., 2020) curriculum framework, the current paper outlines five evidence-based recommendations that teachers can use to…

The development of a set of rubrics for teachers and curriculum designers interested in the quality of numeracy tasks emerged from our struggle with an attempt to clarify the distinction between numeracy and mathematics. Shifting our perspective from asking what numeracy and mathematics are to asking what they are about led to the…

Much attention has been paid to computational thinking (CT) as a problem-solving approach across various curricula, particularly in mathematics. Most studies solely used a digital instrument or examined transfer of program solving ability, neglecting the mathematics knowledge domain or how the novel digital instrument functions alongside the…

Word problems are frequently taught in shallow contexts, where students primarily use procedural knowledge to solve problems and struggle to transfer their learning to real-life situations. This study examines how extra-mathematical knowledge and motivation may enhance the learning process. The study involved 345 fifth-grade students (51.2% male)…

This study reports a secondary analysis from a randomized control trial study conducted with third graders with mathematics difficulty (MD; N = 75). We used simple linear regression to investigate whether students' performance on a word-problem vocabulary assessment predicted their performance on a measure of word-problem solving. Additionally, we…

This longitudinal study tested the notion of a hierarchy of maths skill development by examining whether the development of later acquired arithmetic skills rely on development of earlier acquired arithmetic skills. The scores of 307 children on single-digit arithmetic, multi-digit calculation, arithmetic word problem-solving, and reading…

Procedural flexibility is an important skill for algebra. Although prior work has focused on measuring students' procedural flexibility using arithmetic problems, word problems may also capture students' flexibility because of their open-ended nature. To date, no published study has examined the use of word problems as another measure of…

Although previous research has demonstrated that the acquisition of mathematical skills requires support from multiple cognitive abilities, the associations between cognitive precursors in different domains and mathematics at different hierarchical levels among primary school children are not well understood. This study explores the cognitive…

Elementary (5 [approximately] 11 years old) students with mathematics difficulties often struggle with word-problem solving. This systematic review and network meta-analysis aimed to examine the comparative effectiveness of various instructional strategies and their combinations for improving word-problem solving skills in this population. We…

Students encounter hundreds of word problems throughout the elementary grades and on standardized assessments through high school. To demonstrate proficiency on these measures of mathematics competency, students must be skilled in solving word problems. Early detection of word-problem difficulty is essential, and screeners play an important role…