The purpose of this action research project report was to increase student motivation and engagement. There seemed to be an increasing disconnect between student potential and performance, especially among gifted math and beginning music students. Two teacher researchers carried out this research with 25 fifth-grade students at two different sites…

This report describes a program for improving elementary school students ability to solve mathematical word problems. The targeted population consisted of primary, middle, and junior high students attending two different kindergarten through eighth grade schools. Both schools were located within blue collar neighborhoods in a large metropolitan…

The view of the researcher is that students in the upper elementary to middle school range need to increase their problem-solving skills by making logical deductions and organizing and structuring their thoughts through the use of word problems. Giving children a daily word problem challenged and introduced them to the lesson. This activity…

In recent years, teachers have noticed a drop in student effort on complex problems in math and science. The purpose of this study was to determine if incorporating cooperative learning and self-recording strategies had an impact upon student effort on complex problems. A total of 38 9th through 11th grade math and science students at two…

Current mathematics education emphasizes the importance of a problem solving mindset in the classroom. Students need to know how they are going to use what they are learning in real life. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of anchored problem solving instruction on middle school students' mathematical abilities. The researcher…

Prior research on problem solving is discussed, followed by a review of research on mental processes, intellectual development, information processing, mental images, and conceptual imagery. Then four intact fourth grade classes of 23 pupils each were assigned to a 2 x 2 factorial design. One factor was the type of instruction (Method A and Method…

This paper describes a program for increasing problem solving and critical thinking skills in mathematics. The targeted population consisted of one kindergarten, one first- and one second-grade classroom in an elementary school located in an older established community 12 miles west of Chicago. The problem was documented through student…

This report describes a project for improving problem solving skills in students at the secondary level. The targeted population consisted of high school students in growing communities located in the suburbs of a large Midwestern city. Various studies have indicated that students lack problem-solving skills. Analysis of student and teacher…

This report investigated to what extent a curriculum designed to actively teach critical thinking skills resulted in students utilizing higher-order thinking skills (e.g., analysis, synthesis and evaluation). An intervention strategy was designed for a sixth grade class located in a diverse suburban community in northern Illinois. The intervention…

This paper describes an intervention in two Algebra II classes in which the graphing calculator was incorporated into the curriculum as often as possible. The targeted population consisted of high school students in a growing middle to upper class community located in a suburb of a large city. The problem of a lack of understanding of the…

This paper reports on the processes and results of a project on the instruction and practices of mathematics problem solving and strategies. Students in the second, third, and fifth grades were targeted to increase achievement in the area of math problem solving. Problem solving achievement was measured using performance tasks, rubrics, and tests…

This report describes a program for improving attitudes towards mathematics and problem solving in order to improve performance in these areas. The targeted population consists of two high school geometry classes. The school is located in a western suburb of a major mid-western city. The problems of negative attitudes towards mathematics and…

This report describes a program for improving students' oral and written communication in mathematics. The target population consisted of third and fourth grade classes in a suburban, middle class community located in a large Midwestern state. The current lack of communication was demonstrated by the results of class surveys, student interviews,…

This action research describes a program for improving mathematical problem solving skills. The targeted population consisted of first grade students in a transient, middle class community as well as third and sixth grade students from a growing, middle to upper class in Illinois. The concerns of problem solving were documented through teacher…

The purpose of this project was to examine the levels of achievement and metacognition in expressing mathematics understanding and problem solving processes by students in a second grade classroom when the students used writing in daily mathematics learning according to their scores on a mathematical problem solving assessment and individual…