In this work we present the design of a computer-based environment aimed at engaging primary school children in argumentative practices while solving a story problem. Argumentation has been regarded from two points of view, both as a process and as a product. Students, using the collaborative tools offered by the platform, co-constructed shared…

This study analyzed the relative importance of different cognitive abilities for solving complex mathematical word problems (CWPs)--a demanding task of high relevance for diverse fields and contexts. We investigated the effects of spatial, verbal, numerical, and general reasoning abilities as well as gender on CWP performance among N = 1282…

The focus of this article is the well documented association between low working memory capacity and difficulty with mathematical word-problem solving. We begin by describing a model that specifies how various cognitive resources, including working memory, contribute to individual differences in word-problem solving and by then summarizing…

This study investigated the development of problem-solving strategies demonstrated by 42 elementary pre-service mathematics teachers in problem-solving mathematics classes. The study used a mixed methods approach of quantitative and qualitative research by analyzing the collected data.. The quantitative portion calculates the frequencies and…

The present study describes how deaf and hard-of-hearing (d/hh) children who primarily use listening/spoken English (oral d/hh) solve one-step arithmetic story problems. Past research examined the story problem-solving of hearing children (Carpenter et al., 2015) and d/hh children who used age-appropriate American Sign Language (signing d/hh;…

Little is known about whether manipulatives can support children's inferences of the mathematical structure of word problems. The objective was to test the effects of using manipulatives during problem solving on students' understanding of the additive relationships in word problems. Third and fifth graders (N = 45) solved one-step addition and…

Focusing on students with mild disabilities, this study aimed to examine the effect of STAR problem solving strategy on their a) solving change problems involving one-step addition and subtraction, b) maintaining their acquisition of solving change problems involving one-step addition and subtraction after 1, 3, and 5 weeks, c) generalizing their…

Effective instructional strategies to improve mathematical problem solving skills are critically important to student success in both school-based and real-world mathematics tasks. This study reports effects of a Virtual-Representational-Abstract Integrated framework on the mathematical problem solving skills of three middle school students with…

In three experiments, I first examined the correlation between the presence of transformation of stimulus function (TSF) across computation and the presence of TSF across saying and writing for spelling words, and then tested the effects of the establishment of TSF across saying and writing on the establishment of TSF across math operants. Eight…

Ever try to captivate students with real-world applications only to discover that they live in a very different world? Assigning an Extreme Word Problem activity to students alleviates this dilemma by placing the authorship of a problem squarely into the hands of learners. Rather than trying to be hip and finding word problems that resonate with…

Solving reality-based tasks is an important goal in mathematics instruction and is anchored in education standards determined by mathematical modeling skills. These tasks demand a serious examination of the real-world as well as text comprehension to successfully solve them. Therefore, this study empirically reconstructed the comprehension process…

Communicating mathematical ideas through writing, listening, and verbalizing allows students to think about how they "think" about mathematics. By focusing this communication on a reflection of how one thinks about mathematics, metacognitive writing engages students as mathematicians and learners. In this article we describe a…

Students in the elementary grades often experience difficulty setting up and solving word problems. Using an equation to represent the structure of the problem serves as an effective tool for solving word problems, but students may require specific pre-algebraic reasoning instruction about the equal sign as a relational symbol to set up and solve…

We explored the role of three math instructional practices by teachers (explicit instruction, guided practice, peer interaction) in predicting current Spanish and English reading comprehension and later Spanish and English math problem-solving performance of English learners (ELs). In this study, math was taught in Spanish. We had 26 teachers and…

The paper investigates how the order of numerical data in word problems on division of a whole into unequal parts affects achievement and reasoning of 14-16-year old pupils. The variable was altered in two word problems, in one of which also the context was changed (psychological variable) and in the latter "if-clause" is or is not used…