Provides a first-person perspective on problem solving in an undergraduate history of mathematics course. Highlights social and material resources for problem solving. Generalizes primary factors affecting perceptions of a problem. Discusses the influence of factors on the personal perceptions of problem difficulty. Includes analyses of resources…

Presented is a study that underscores the extent to which students do not understand the use or meaning of letters in equations. (MP)

This article discusses the use of mnemonic techniques in helping students acquire new information and apply that information in problem-solving situations. It outlines common academic learning problems and the dynamics of mnemonic strategies and applies the strategies to remembering definitions, factual information, processes, functions, and…

Some misconceptions about learning are discussed and specific suggestions for helping students in a college developmental mathematics class learn how to learn mathematics are presented. Extensive footnotes are appended. (MNS)

Incorrect answers on an arithmetic test given to 83 first-year students at Aberdeen College of Education in the United Kingdom are reviewed. The nature of wrong responses and the likely reasons for the given responses are discussed. (MP)

Errors students typically generate while trying to translate problems into and out of algebraic notation are reviewed. Translation skills and pupil difficulties with them are seen as areas deserving further research. (MP)

A systematic study of the mathematical competence of all first-year engineering undergraduates at Plymouth Polytechnic, England is described. Results of a remedial mathematics program geared towards individualized instruction are presented. (MP)

Analyzes student performance on solution calorimetry problems in an introductory university chemistry class. Includes data from written classroom exams for 207 students and an extensive longitudinal interview with a student. Indicates learning difficulties, most of which appear to originate from failure to understand, that net increases and…

The broad aim of this research is to characterize the views of proof held by college calculus students and their two types of teachers mathematics graduate students and professors. The analysis is based on an examination of the ways in which people in all three groups produce and evaluate different types of solutions to a proof-based problem from…

This research addresses the actual goals and intentions from which students plan and organize their work in a course of study. Representations can either facilitate or hinder learning and problem solutions. Several salient aspects of adult students' representational systems and how they influenced university study were examined in two studies. The…

Presents "Project Solve," a web-based problem-solving instruction and guided practice for mathematical word problems. Discusses implications for college students for whom reading and comprehension of mathematical word problem solving are difficult, especially learning disabled students. (Author/KHR)

Problems in mathematics education as a social activity are the major focus of this document. Paragraphs that describe major problems in mathematics education point out at least eleven major issues as seen from the author's perspective. (MP)

Asserts that metacognition is one of the most important developments in the contemporary study of learning. Proposes a theoretical analysis of a number of interrelated issues with regard to their importance for metacognition. Focuses on strategy selection in light of the impasse-based theories of problem solving. (CFR)

The research described here seeks to characterize the "managerial" aspects of expert and novice problem-solving behavior, and to describe the impact of managerial or "executive" actions on success or failure in problem solving. A framework for analyzing protocols of problem-solving sessions based on "episodes" of…

Retarded and nonretarded persons were compared on a task designed to preclude the use of cognitive strategies. Results suggest the possible importance of automatic processing deficiencies and invite a reconsideration of the idea that the relationship between intelligence and memory is due entirely to effortful processes. (LMO)