Representational pictures show consistently null effects for word problems with demanding characteristics such as rational numbers, probabilistic reasoning, or realistic considerations¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Studies whose word problems included demanding number types, operations, or realistic considerations showed null effects for representational pictures. → Terhi Vessonen 2026

Evidence¶

Terhi Vessonen 2026¶

Terhi Vessonen, Heidi Hellstrand, Pirjo Aunio, Anu Laine. (2026). Pictures in Mathematical Word Problems: A Systematic Review on the Role of Task and Student Characteristics. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10112-5

q2 · i? · quant-synthesis · r2

Systematic review synthesis of studies of representational pictures with demanding task characteristics. The review reports these studies "showed consistently null findings for representational pictures", and that these task characteristics were absent from studies showing positive effects.

"studies that included demanding types of numbers such as rational numbers, demanding operations such as probabilistic reasoning, or tasks that contained realistic considerations, showed consistently null findings for representational pictures"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Cognitive skills are the most probable student characteristic to modify picture effects: low math performers do better without representational pictures, low reading-comprehension students better with them — related
• Representational pictures relate to better word problem-solving performance only with relatively simple tasks, with the largest effects for first-position-of-the-unknown problems — related
• Decorative pictures show consistently null effects on elementary schoolers' word problem-solving performance regardless of task characteristics — related