This study investigated the effectiveness of teaching sixth-grade students to use diagrams, sketches, and pictures in solving arithmetic word problems. Three instructional groups were formed from a pool of 362 subjects. Group 1 practiced solving problems using only verbal statements; group 2 practiced on problems presented in word form, sometimes…

This study compared two techniques of teaching verbal problem solving. The consensus method is a commonly used decision-making strategy, while the expository (control) method is the most familiar teaching strategy for verbal problems. Two sets of sixth-grade students under two teachers were divided into treatment groups. Both sets of subjects were…

In this study three issues related to "expert" problem solving were studied; the problems considered were based on Tower of Hanoi puzzles. A computer simulation was proposed and tested, effects of cues on subjects' performance were studied, and inter-problem transfer was analyzed. Four predictions were posed for the simulation study. Two of these…

The problem was to determine the relationship between performance on Piagetian class inclusion tasks and on missing-addend computation and verbal problem tasks for first-Grade students, and to describe the methods used by the children in solving both the missing-addend and the verbal problem tasks. From 168 first-grade students who received a…

This study was undertaken to explore the problem solving processes of secondary-school students. Geometry students were given an experimenter-constructed test of convergent and divergent thinking and classified as high on both, high convergent, high divergent, or low on both. Of these 105 students, 49 were selected for individual observation as…

This study was designed to replicate and extend the work of Steffe on the effect of using different set names as variables in addition problem statements. The behavior of both first- and second-grade students was studied and the usefulness of visual aids in solving addition problems was also investigated. One-hundred twenty first- and second-grade…

The purpose of this study was the construction of a theoretical model for analyzing mathematical problem solving. A list of general problem-solving abilities was generated through a literature search. This list was narrowed to eight basic abilities pertinent to mathematics problem solving. Each of these was operationally defined and exemplified in…

This study investigated the differential effectiveness of two instructional techniques for field-dependent and field-independent fourth graders. Instruction consisted of eight worksheets and two tests. For one group worksheets contained perceptual structuring while for the other they contained both perception and cognitive structuring. This…

This study provides an integrated investigation of creative thinking, mathematical and nonmathematical problem solving, and transfer of training among secondary-school students. Fifty-two geometry students participated in a two-week Divergent Thinking Activities program developed by the experimenter. In addition to this group, 30 geometry students…