Mathematics proficiency in the Philippines is a persistent concern, seen by many as a sign of an educational crisis. Teachers are responsible for improving learning outcomes in any discipline, including math. Thus, the study intended to conduct an error analysis of verbal problems among pre-service mathematics teachers. The researcher employed…

Solving word problems is a common area of struggle for students with learning disabilities (LD). In order for instruction to be effective, we first need to have a clear understanding of the specific errors exhibited by students with LD during problem solving. Error analysis has proven to be an effective tool in other areas of math but has had…

Formal algebras are among the most powerful and general mechanisms for expressing quantitative relational statements; yet, even university engineering students, who are relatively proficient with algebraic manipulation, struggle with and often fail to correctly deploy basic aspects of algebraic notation (Clement, 1982). In the cognitive tradition,…

This is a descriptive research on the difficulties of Filipino high school students in translating algebraic word problems into mathematical equations. This research is composed of three parts: (1) development of an 11-page "Filipinized" questionnaire; (2) analysis of the mathematical thinking processes of the respondents based on the answers to…

Research studies have shown that students encounter difficulties in transitioning from arithmetic to algebra. Errors made by high school students were analyzed for patterns and their causes. The origins of errors were: intuitive assumptions, failure to understand the syntax of algebra, analogies with other familiar symbol systems such as the…

Sixty-four adults were tested on simple addition and multiplication problems presented in Arabic digit or English number-word format. Overall, response times and error rates were much higher with the word format, but more important, presentation format interacted with arithmetic operation and problem size. (DR)

Examined relations between algebraic word-problem attributes and students' strategies, errors, and problem difficulty. Found that constructed responses capture strategy formulation and high-level planning--as do traditional measures of quantitative reasoning--but are more sensitive to individual problem characteristics and procedural errors that…

In the study of mathematics instruction the focus has changed from the outcomes of learning to the cognitive processes involved in mathematics learning. This new emphasis presents a serious challenge for curriculum design, but it may also lead to more success for students in learning mathematics. (Author/VM)

Most studies of children's solution processes on simple addition and subtraction word problems have used individual interviews or the analysis of error patterns on paper-and-pencil tests as the primary data-gathering techniques. The present paper reports an investigation in which the contribution of eye-movement data was explored for studying…

This collection of four papers deals with problem solving and the measurement of problem solving. "Climbing Up the Competence Ladder: Some Thoughts on Meaningful Assessment of Problem-Solving Tasks in the Classroom" by K. C. Cheung uses the metaphor of a competence ladder to represent the problem-solving continuum with progressive…

An overview is presented of information processing analyses of knowledge and performance in three areas of the elementary mathematics curriculum: basic addition and subtraction facts, complex procedures such as multicolumn subtraction, and the solution of word problems. Theories of the knowledge associated with "expert" performance are discussed.…