This research examined the impact of the Cognitive-Communicative (C-C) model as a pedagogical strategy for teaching algebraic word problems (AWPs). The C-C model integrates structured dialogue, concept clarification, and systematic problem-solving steps to enhance students' comprehension and reasoning. Employing a mixed-methods framework, the…

Mathematical problem-posing and modeling are essential skills in developing students' analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities. This study aims to examine correlation between 9th-grade students' problem-posing and mathematical modeling skills within the learning domain of numbers and algebra. Additionally, it evaluates students'…

This systematic literature review investigates the effectiveness of the think aloud pair problem-solving (TAPPS) and storyboarding strategies in enhancing students' abilities to solve algebra word problems. Notably, algebra word problems pose a significant challenge to students due to their inherent complexity, requiring strong cognitive,…

Procedural flexibility is an important skill for algebra. Although prior work has focused on measuring students' procedural flexibility using arithmetic problems, word problems may also capture students' flexibility because of their open-ended nature. To date, no published study has examined the use of word problems as another measure of…

In this article, the author will demonstrate how gestures--often used in combination with offloading information on scratch paper--can be used to help students with difficulties in mathematics succeed with secondary level algebra. The authors will provide key examples from three studies of the algebra learning of students with mathematics…

This study investigated the extent to which domain-general and domain-specific antecedents contributed to pre-algebra's initial level and growth rate among students who experience word-problem difficulty (WPD). We examined if such a profile differs for English-language learners (ELLs; n = 75) and non-ELLs (n = 55) with WPD. We assessed 130 U.S.…

Simplifying equations via assumptions is integral to the "engineering method." Algebraic scaling helps in teaching the engineering skill of making good assumptions. Algebraic scaling is more than a pedagogical tool. It can create a solution where one was not possible before scaling. Scaling helps in engineering proper design…

Effective math instruction is crucial for developing students' problem-solving abilities. This Spotlight explores key strategies and approaches to enhance math teaching and learning. From laying the foundation for algebra in kindergarten to improving understanding of fractions, these articles offer valuable perspectives. Discover how to help…

The use of the algebraic method for solving word problems is a challenging topic for secondary school students. Students' difficulties are usually associated with extracting the problem's network of relationships between quantities and with formalizing these relationships into algebraic language in a problem model. Both sources can coexist and…

An important line of research related to the resolution of word problems is the study of the cognitive processes involved when subjects translate problems into the language of algebra. One of the most common errors in problem-solving is the reversal error (RE), which occurs when students reverse the relationship between two variables when…

Solving word problems is a large part of algebra coursework and statewide testing. However, solving secondary mathematics word problems is difficult for most students and extremely challenging for students with specific learning disabilities (SLD). In recent meta-analyses, two problem solving strategies emerged as effective for secondary students…

This study forms part of a classroom teaching experiment on the development of a group of 25 9-10 years old students' algebraic thinking. More specifically, it explored their reasoning while solving word problems built around functional relationships to determine how they generalized through questions posed using natural language, drawn figures or…

The purpose of this study was to explore the paths by which word-problem intervention, with versus without embedded prealgebraic reasoning instruction, improved word-problem performance. Students with mathematics difficulty (MD; n = 304) were randomly assigned to a business-as-usual condition or 1 of 2 variants of word-problem intervention. The…

Several studies related to mathematics understanding found that many undergraduate students lack some basic knowledge of algebra. They memorized only a few topics, formulas, and algorithms without understanding them conceptually, even though they could manipulate those limited number of points correctly or incorrectly. In comparison, most…

The increasing use of complex machine learning models in education has led to concerns about their interpretability, which in turn has spurred interest in developing explainability techniques that are both faithful to the model's inner workings and intelligible to human end-users. In this paper, we describe a novel approach to creating a…