scholarly journals What Diagrams Are Considered Useful for Solving Mathematical Word Problems in Japan?

2021 ◽  
pp. 79-83
Author(s):  
Hiroaki Ayabe ◽  
Emmanuel Manalo ◽  
Mari Fukuda ◽  
Norihiro Sadato

AbstractPrevious studies have shown that diagram use is effective in mathematical word problem solving. However, they have also revealed that students manifest many problems in using diagrams for such purposes. A possible reason is an inadequacy in students’ understanding of variations in types of problems and the corresponding kinds of diagrams appropriate to use. In the present study, a preliminary investigation was undertaken of how such correspondences between problem types and kinds of diagrams are represented in textbooks. One government-approved textbook series for elementary school level in Japan was examined for the types of mathematical word problems, and the kinds of diagrams presented with those problems. The analyses revealed significant differences in association between kinds of diagrams and types of problems. More concrete diagrams were included with problems involving change, combination, variation, and visualization of quantities; while number lines were more often used with comparison and variation problems. Tables and graphs corresponded to problems requiring organization of quantities; and more concrete diagrams and graphs to problems involving quantity visualization. These findings are considered in relation to the crucial role of textbooks and other teaching materials in facilitating strategy knowledge acquisition in students.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 596
Author(s):  
Roberto Capone ◽  
Federica Filiberti ◽  
Alice Lemmo

This paper focuses on difficulties that primary school students have in facing mathematical word problems. In particular, we are interested in exploring how they develop in the transition from grade 2 to grade 5. The research basis of the hypothesis is that some difficulties detected in grade 5 are already predictable in grade 2. Starting from the data collected in grade 5 by the National Standardized Assessment, we carry out a quantitative analysis looking for word problems in which students experience difficulties. Subsequently, we conduct a backward analysis of the grade 2 test of the same cohort of students in order to identify a set of word problems linked with those selected in grade 5 test. The analysis shows the presence of many common difficulties in the two grades. We design and carry out specific educational activities concerning word problem-solving in grade 2. These activities produce positive changes in the experimental class compared to the control class. This could suggest that a previous intervention in grade 2 could allow overcoming future difficulties in word problem text comprehension in grade 5.


Author(s):  
Ellen Brook

The purpose of the study was to describe the experiences adult learners have while solving mathematical word problems. The focus of the study was on how these adult students used prior mathematical knowledge and how their past experiences with mathematics influenced their solving of mathematics word problems. The study found that the attitudes, feelings and beliefs that adult students in the study hold toward mathematics and problem solving are an integral part of their mathematics learning experience. This study also reports on the particular pattern observed within the participants' attitude toward mathematics education during their schooling years beginning from elementary school till college. The adult students participated in the study lacked the necessary knowledge of such concepts as motion and concentration. Finally, the study found that even after learning the topic during the college class, the participants had difficulties with applying algebraic approaches to word problem solving.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105345122110475
Author(s):  
Bradley Witzel ◽  
Jonté A. Myers ◽  
Yan Ping Xin

State exams frequently use word problems to measure mathematics performance making difficulties with word problem solving a barrier for many students with learning disabilities (LD) in mathematics. Based on meta-analytic data from students with LD, five empirically validated word-problem strategies are presented with components of model-based problem solving (MBPS) highlighted.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Reinhold ◽  
Sarah Hofer ◽  
Michal Berkowitz ◽  
Anselm Strohmaier ◽  
Sarah Scheuerer ◽  
...  

ZDM ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Csaba Csíkos ◽  
Judit Szitányi

AbstractThis research addressed Hungarian pre-service and in-service (both elementary and lower secondary) teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge concerning the teaching of word problem solving strategies. By means of a standardized interview protocol, participants (N = 30) were asked about their judgement on the difficulty of teaching word problems, the factors they find difficult, and their current teaching practice. Furthermore, based on a comparative analysis of Eastern European textbooks, we tested how teachers’ current beliefs and views relate to the word problem solving algorithm described in elementary textbooks. The results suggest that in the teachers’ opinion, explicit teaching of a step-by-step algorithm is feasible and desirable as early as in the 1st school grade. According to our results, two approaches (namely, paradigmatic- and narrative-oriented) concerning how to teach the process of word problems solving, originally revealed by Chapman, were found. Furthermore, teachers in general agreed with the approach taken in the textbooks on the subject of what kinds of word problems should be used, and that explicit teaching of word problem solving strategies should be introduced by using simple, routine word problems as examples.


2001 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-59
Author(s):  
Patricia S. Moyer

In an elementary school classroom, as in real life, the lines between the content areas should be blurred, particularly between mathematical problem solving and mathematical situations contextualized in good literature. For that reason, I always look for interesting books about mathematical situations. Why use children's literature to teach mathematics? A good story often places mathematical problems in the context of familiar situations and is similar to, yet a much more elaborate version of, mathematical word problems. Assertions that children's inability to solve word problems results from their inability to read or to compute effectively simply are not true. The problem is that children do not know how to choose the correct operation or sequence of operations to solve the problem. To solve a problem situation presented in words, children need to be able to connect computational processes with appropriate calculations. Their difficulties lie in the fact that children simply do not understand the mathematics well enough conceptually to make the connection with the problem- solving situation. Using books with authentic problem situations may help children see that learning computation serves a real-life purpose.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 1180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neslihan Bulut ◽  
Gözdegül Karamık

<p>The aim of this study is to investigate the variety of problem solving strategies used by preservice mathematics teachers while solving different mathematical word problems which require representation standards and to identify which strategy is functional for pre-service teachers to apply with middle-school students.</p><p>The study was a case study and conducted during the 2009 spring semester. For this study, 150 senior class pre-service teachers of elementary mathematics education were chosen from a public university in Turkey by convenient sampling. Data were collected through an open-ended test developed by researchers. The test was consist of ten mathematical word problems selected from the five sub-learning areas. The test was given to the pre-service teachers and they were asked to solve each problem in different ways. It took 60 minutes for preservice teachers to complete the test. Strategies that pre-service teachers used for solving word problems were categorized by using content analyze. Also interviews were conducted with pre-service teachers in order to identify their opinions about the usability of strategies in middle-school classrooms.</p><p>Findings revealed that participants are lack of using different strategies while solving word problems. In general the participants did not apply more than one strategy and they used traditional solving strategies instead of extreme ones. Findings of this study will be a guiding spirit to teacher educators for the enhancement of preservice teacher education programs.</p>


Author(s):  
Rafael Cabezuelo Vivo ◽  
Víctor Pavón

The purpose of this study is to investigate to what extent the use of L2 in math tests influences bilingual education learners’ process of word problem solving in a mandatory secondary education school with Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The reading comprehension level of the students was analysed using a standards-based assessment and the questions used in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests. The word problems were selected according to the students’ level of reading-comprehension and mathematical competence. Leaners also had to answer a questionnaire, which was used to analyse if contextual factors were affecting mathematical performance in L2. To this end, the questionnaire included some questions related to the bilingual history of the students and their perception about solving word problems in English. Data were analysed through one-way or two-way ANOVA tests to find out which factors were relevant. Results show that solving word problems is not only affected by the use of L2, but that it also depends on the mathematical difficulty, irrespective of the students’ level of language proficiency. The findings, hence, imply that interaction between linguistic difficulty and mathematical complexity is at the centre of the issues affecting word problem solving.


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