Sixth graders scored significantly higher on posttests that included the seven-step problem-solving plan than on unformatted posttests¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 1994 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Students who received the formatted posttest scored significantly higher than those who received the unformatted posttest (p = .023). → Zambo 1994

Evidence¶

Zambo 1994¶

Zambo, Ron; Hess, Robert. (1994). The Gender Differential Effects of a Procedural Plan for Solving Mathematical Word Problems. ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED375005

q2 · i? · causal · r1

Independent t-test comparing posttest scores of the two test-sequence groups (n=155 sixth graders total) in this quasi-experimental counterbalanced study. The formatted posttest group was favored, "(df=153, t = 2.30, p = .023)". No effect size is printed.

"However, for the post test a significant difference was found favoring students who received the formatted post test versus those who received the unformatted post test (df=153, t = 2.30, p = .023)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Problem Solving — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Three weeks of explicit language-focused strategy instruction produced no significant word-problem gain in this study — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Fourth-graders perform substantially better on computation tests than on word problems using the same numbers — related
• In one word-problem study, females gained significantly when the formatted procedural plan came after an unformatted test, and scored lower when the formatted test came first — related
• No significant gender difference in word-problem performance on either formatted or unformatted test forms — related
• Embedding computational thinking in a sixth-grade mathematics classroom significantly increased students' understanding of mathematical processes versus control — related
• Student interviews indicate the formatted plan demanded more work and time, with mixed perceptions of step helpfulness — related