Our work investigated how six primary school students used a non-traditional method for adding and subtracting: the ABN method, a Spanish acronym for Open (method) Based on Numbers. Commognitive theory [Sfard, A. 2008. "Thinking as Communicating: Human Development, the Growth of Discourses, and Mathematizing." New York: Cambridge…

Students, even as young as kindergarten, are natural problem solvers (Carpenter et al., 2017). Even before they learn to count, they can make sense of mathematical problems and real- world situations (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2022). Kindergartners can make sense of complex story problems, including Separate Start Unknown…

Much attention has been paid to computational thinking (CT) as a problem-solving approach across various curricula, particularly in mathematics. Most studies solely used a digital instrument or examined transfer of program solving ability, neglecting the mathematics knowledge domain or how the novel digital instrument functions alongside the…

This longitudinal study tested the notion of a hierarchy of maths skill development by examining whether the development of later acquired arithmetic skills rely on development of earlier acquired arithmetic skills. The scores of 307 children on single-digit arithmetic, multi-digit calculation, arithmetic word problem-solving, and reading…

Evidence in South Africa of poor performance on word problems points to particular challenges among learners relating to difficulties with, on the one hand, making sense of mathematical word problems and, on the other, moving beyond inefficient counting based calculation methods. While many studies in mathematics education in South Africa have…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an intervention utilizing modified schema-based instruction (MSBI) on the mathematical problem-solving ability of elementary school students with mild to moderate disabilities. Four participants were taught to solve percent of change word problems, which required them to calculate the…

Every educator knows the sinking feeling of a lesson gone wrong. As teachers look around the room and realize that many of their students are just not getting it, they often feel like failures. However, the struggle students experience as they persevere through high-quality challenging tasks is not a sign of failure, but rather a key aspect of…

Several studies have shown that children do not only erroneously use additive reasoning in proportional word problems, but also erroneously use proportional reasoning in additive word problems. Traditionally, these errors were contributed to a lack of calculation and discrimination skills. Recent research evidence puts forward an additional…

Back-of-the-envelope (BOTE) calculations require the use of estimations and approximations. They are used by expert physicists to simplify complex problems to obtain quick and approximate solutions. Though BOTE calculations are routine for experts in physics, they are not well defined in academic literature. In this study we interviewed 9…

Successful problem solving begins with constructing mental problem representations and the identification of problem characteristics to clarify the solution. The purpose of the current study is to examine the design principles of learning supports promoting mental problem representation in the math problem solving setting. We investigated the…

Historically, secondary students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (EBD) have made poor progress in mathematics putting them at-risk for school failure. One mathematic area that students with EBD have difficulties in is solving word problems. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the effects of schema-based instruction on…

The purpose of the present study is to clarify the contributions of cognitive skills (nonverbal reasoning, language comprehension, working memory, attention, processing speed) and academic skills (mathematics facts retrieval, mathematics computation, mathematics vocabulary, reading comprehension) in performing mathematics word problems among…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the problem-solving techniques that students in a fifth-grade classroom applied while solving mathematical word problems. Fifth-grade students in a private school with Ministry of Education curricula in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, were given a set of 15-word problems to solve with detailed justifications. The…

The present study attempted to explore the relationship between computational estimation and problem solving in a sample of Year 6 children and adults (N=72). For this purpose, participants were presented with two tasks which asked them to estimate the computational result in eight arithmetic operations (Computational Estimation Task) as well as…

The integer is a basic concept in studying arithmetic and algebra. However, students still frequently experience misconceptions, especially in negative integer, count operations. Traditional games are activities that are often carried out by students in coastal areas so that they are relevant to be used as a tool to construct learning trajectories…