A study of 29 students enrolled in Algebra II in an 8-week summer instructional program for minority students was conducted to reveal the skills that students have in translating among representational forms in mathematics problems where the representational form is varied in the given problem and in the required form of the answer. All students…

One of the major goals in mathematics education is to teach the ability to solve word problems. This study compared the word problem solving abilities of second-grade students from Taiwan (N=24) with those of American students (N=24). Two tests were used in the problem solving interviews. The comparisons between the performance of the groups on…

A practicum addressed the inability of fourth-grade students to successfully solve mathematics word problems due to poor comprehension of and negative attitude toward problem solving. A problem solving improvement program designed primarily around the writing process used in language arts instruction was implemented. The steps of this process…

This supplement to the "Technical Report for the Mathematics Assessment Questionnaire" describes methods for examining student responses to the questionnaire and focuses on the data for criterion-referenced-test (CRT) type scores. The Mathematics Assessment Questionnaire (MAQ) was developed to provide information about students in grades…

This study focuses on the relationship between item modeling and evidence-centered design (ECD); it considers how an appropriately generalized item modeling software tool can support systematic identification and exploitation of task-model variables, and then examines the feasibility of this goal, using linear-equation items as a test case. The…

A discrepancy exists between children's ability to compute and their ability to solve mathematical word problems. The literature suggests a variety of methods that have been attempted to improve this skill with varying success. The utilization of manipulatives, visualization, illustration, and emphasis on improving listening skills all were…

This document addresses the need to provide problem-solving materials for teachers of mathematics in the upper elementary grades. The activities are designed to: help teachers emphasize problem-solving techniques, develop positive attitudes toward mathematics and problem solving, provide problems that could be used whenever free time exists,…

This study investigated how preadolescents and adolescents solve problems involving three temporal dimensions. Specifically examined was the question of whether speed and space information would influence the time judgments of 90 subjects 9, 12, and 15 years of age who solved 16 word problems describing the displacements of two cars. The problems…

In the study of mathematics instruction the focus has changed from the outcomes of learning to the cognitive processes involved in mathematics learning. This new emphasis presents a serious challenge for curriculum design, but it may also lead to more success for students in learning mathematics. (Author/VM)

Determined whether 11 third-grade children, differing in cognitive processing capacity, solve addition and subtraction word problems differently. Results, among others, show that children who differ in cognitive processing capacity also differ in strategies they use to solve the same verbal problems and differ in their success in finding correct…

A problem-solving component for the junior high school mathematics curriculum is described. A sample worksheet of routine problems is included, and suggestions for working with nonroutine problems are given. (MNS)

This report summarizes findings of current research supported by the Office of Special Education Programs on effective mathematics instruction for students with disabilities. The first brief article notes that most special education teachers do not have sufficient knowledge about the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards and this…

This study investigated the effects of personalized instruction on the achievement and attitudes of Taiwanese students on two-step mathematics word problems. A total of 136 fourth graders in a Taiwanese public school participated in the study. Subjects initially completed a Student Survey on which they chose their favorite foods, sports, stores,…

This article reviews current knowledge about using computers to teach problem-solving skills to students with learning disabilities (LD). It presents the case for use of hypermedia to improve students' mathematics problem-solving abilities. Specific suggestions are given for applying hypermedia to cognitive strategy instruction and the graduated…

Purposeful sampling was used to select six English-Korean bilingual students to investigate language difficulties and cognitive processes in solving mathematics word problems. These six case studies revealed distinct patterns of difficulties in solving problems written in English and Korean, especially for students in transition stage. (Author/KMC)