Reports a study to explore student's computational performance on computer-administered testing situations while at the computer. Students from grades 3-6 (n=100) were randomly assigned to treatment order, computer assessment first or paper/pencil assessment first. Significant differences occurred in three areas: completion time, number of mental…

Explores students' abilities in mental computation, finds out the strategies they use most naturally, and develops a theoretical framework by giving 60 children a questionnaire and interviewing them on a series of arithmetic operations to be solved by mental computation. Generates a classification of children's strategies. Contains 31 references.…

Comparison of pre- and posttest scores in mathematics computation of 2 classes of (n=91) ninth-grade students, 1 class emphasizing drill and practice and the other focusing on learning concepts, found the mean grade equivalent score for computation of the concept class increased more than 2 years and these students attempted to answer more…

Discusses overall mental computation achievement and limits discussion to strategies middle school students used when computing with whole numbers, decimals, and fractions. Suggests that the development of conceptual knowledge of numbers is an important prerequisite for the understanding of mental computation procedures. (Contains 31 references.)…

Discussed are students' understandings of the relationship between fraction and decimal interpretations of rational numbers, where both interpretations are represented symbolically. The methodology employed in this study, interviews, results, and a discussion of the implications of the results are presented. (CW)

The results of this case study of a 15-year-old dropout indicate the potential usefulness of incorporating process mnemonics, particularly in the form of allegorical characterizations and stories, within mathematical instructional strategies for the learning disabled. (15 references) (JJK)

Evidence on learning problems due to dyscalculia is surveyed. Definitions, factors responsible for dyscalculia, split-brain research and hemispheric roles, mathematics learning problems and personality, materials for instruction, and levels of knowing mathematics are among the topics discussed with an extensive list of references. (MNS)

Tests of (n=107) third through sixth graders' basic addition facts found that 34% of errors involved the addition of zero and 83% of the remaining errors involved at least one of the digits 7, 8, or 9 when the other addend was 4 or more. (20 references) (MKR)

The work of Ladislav Kosc on dyscalculia is presented. His work on meanings, forms, terminology, diagnosis, correction principles, factors in mathematical ability, language dysfunctions, and publications are each included. (MNS)

Discussed are the background and implementation of a method of teaching fractions to primary children referred to as "The Visual Concept of Fractions." The advantages and criticisms of the use of this method are stressed. (CW)

Identifies four causes of confusion in reading mathematics related to numbers, symbols and sentences, vocabulary, and directionality. Discusses techniques for overcoming each type of the confusion. (YP)

Describes a study designed to investigate the relationship between students' learning of the standard double-digit addition algorithm and basic fact mastery or numeration concepts. Results suggest basic fact mastery and knowledge of numeration concepts may not be as necessary as previously assumed to learning multidigit addition. (PK)

This study sought to evaluate a measure of dyscalculia to determine its validity and reliability. It also tested use of the instrument with seventh graders and ascertained where errors attributed to dyscalculia were also present in an average sample of seventh graders. Results varied. (MNS)

The study investigated which addition facts children and preservice teachers view as being difficult, whether it is possible to determine facts which are difficult for all children, and whether children and adults agree on which facts are difficult. Results indicated that children and adults disagree about the difficulty of facts. (PK)

This study examined the hypothesis that prior experience with augmented-quotient problems would positively influence performance on remainder-only problems and quotient-only problems. Analysis of sixth through eighth grade students' (n=545) responses to test forms that systematically varied the order of appearance of these three division problems,…