In recent years, the ability to use mathematics flexibly in everyday situations is increasingly accentuated, and mathematics education gives more and more attention to problems with realistic contexts. However, it is reported very often that learners have substantial difficulties in connecting mathematics to real situations. In order to solve…

This article combines different conceptualizations of teachers' diagnostic competence in listening to students' mathematical thinking processes on the levels of general perspectives, noticed aspects and activated didactic categories. An empirical study of 159 prospective mathematics teachers' diagnostic judgments investigated how these levels are…

This paper explored the authors' concerns about students enrolled in their introductory accounting course. Anecdotal evidence suggested that students struggle with basic arithmetic concepts that underlie basic business transactions even though their math placement and ACT scores are high. A survey of 125 students in a first accounting course was…

Differential bundle functioning (DBF) analyses were conducted to determine whether seventh and eighth grade second language learners (SLLs) had lower probabilities of answering bundles of math word problems correctly that had heavy language demands, when compared to non-SLLs of equal math proficiency. Math word problems on each of four test forms…

One of the many roles of two year community colleges in the United States is to bridge the gap between secondary school and college for students who graduate from high school with weak mathematics skills that prevent them from enrolling in college level mathematics courses. At community colleges remedial or developmental mathematics courses review…

The focus of this study was connections among 3 aspects of mathematical cognition at 2nd grade: calculations, word problems, and prealgebraic knowledge. We extended the literature, which is dominated by correlational work, by examining whether intervention conducted on calculations or word problems contributes to improved performance in the other…

The purpose of this study was to examine child-level pathways in development of prealgebraic knowledge versus word-problem solving, while evaluating the contribution of calculation accuracy and fluency as mediators of foundational skills/processes. Children (n = 962; mean 7.60 years) were assessed on general cognitive processes and early…

The purpose of this study was to examine child-level pathways in development of prealgebraic knowledge versus word-problem solving, while evaluating the contribution of calculation accuracy and fluency as mediators of foundational skills/processes. Children (n = 962; mean 7.60 years) were assessed on general cognitive processes and early…

Solving mathematics story problems requires text comprehension skills. However, previous studies have found few connections between traditional measures of text readability and performance on story problems. We hypothesized that recently developed measures of readability and topic incidence measured by text-mining tools may illuminate associations…

This study investigates the relationship between skills that underpin mathematical word problems and those that underpin numerical operations, such as addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. Sixty children aged 6-7 years were tested on measures of mathematical ability, reading accuracy, reading comprehension, verbal intelligence and…

This study sought to integrate Dweck and Leggett's (1988) self-theories of intelligence model (i.e., the view that intelligence is either fixed and unalterable or changeable through hard work and effort) with Elliot and Dweck's (1988) achievement goal theory, which explains why some people are oriented towards learning and others toward…

Using multitrait, multimethod data, and confirmatory factor analysis, the current study examined the effects of arithmetic item formatting and the possibility that across formats, abilities other than arithmetic may contribute to children's answers. Measurement hypotheses were guided by several leading theories of arithmetic cognition. With a…

Discusses how students generate meanings for mathematical word problems, develops a generative predicational model to account for students' comprehension of word problems, and describes an empirical study of Israeli sixth graders that was designed to test the model. Talk aloud protocols of the students are analyzed, and hypotheses tested are…

To test the Lewis and Mayer simulation model (1987) for understanding compare problems, 3 experiments involving 39 college students and 15 third graders used registration of eye movements. Two experiments somewhat support the model, suggesting it holds true only when the task puts cognitive demands on the subject. (SLD)

Results of a study involving 107 sixth graders, 107 secondary school students, and 99 college education majors support the basic hypothesis of the intuitive model of solving multiplicative problems proposed by E. Fischbein and others (1985) but show that the theory does not account for all the empirical data. (SLD)