Understanding Word Arithmetic Problems. Linguistic and Situational Factors.

Mathematical word problems ?re notoriously difficult to solve for students at all grade levels. Performance deficienCies have been attributed to students lacking abstract lOgico-matheNgical knowledge or6to insufficiently developed language comprehension skills. At _least four general sources of difficultY can be distinguished in mathematical mord problems: (1)the verbal formulation of the problem text; (2) the stru-Iture of the underlying episodic problem situation; (3) the conceptual logico-mathematical or arithmetical kLlwledge about set relations; and (4) the arithmetic probleM solving skills that are required to perforb_counting operations or-to-resolve-equations. This paper-describes-a process model,Situation-Proble4-Solver (SPs) Computer program that constructs a problem representation_based on strategies that take into account the specific situational structure as well as its wording. Discussed in this-study is the role of two linguistic and of one situational factors on comprehension difficulty oE simple mathematical word problems. The linguistic,form factors that were manipulated concerned the narrative focus of the problem episode and the problem question. The results of this experiment indicate the script factor to be a dominant source of comprehenSion difficulty. (KR) ************* ****** ******************************* ***** **** ***** ***** Reproductions supPlied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. * , ******************u ***** * ***** *********** ******* *********x**** ******* Understanding Word Arithmetic,Probiems. Linguistic and Situational Factors: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Mot ca Educatonal ReSealth and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATICN CENTER (ERIC) his document has been reproducot as received from the Person or organization oncinabnci iL CI Minor chanties have been made to improve retlitodoction Qualify Pants of view or opinions staled on this document do not necessarily represent official 0Elll position or policy "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY 6.0 sce:r TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC). Kurt Reusser University of Bern Abt. Padaszoslische-Nychologie :Muesmatts tr. 27 CH-3012 Bern/Switzerland Paper presented at the AERA Annual Meeting, Boston, April 1620, 1990

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