The Demands of Simple and Complex Arithmetic Word Problems on Language and Cognitive Resources.

ABSTRACT: Solving arithmetic word problems requires constructing a situation model based on the problem text and translating that into a mathematical model. As such, word problem solving makes demands on students' language comprehension and their domain-general cognitive resources. These demands may decrease when students get more experienced and use strategies that do not require fully understanding the situation presented in the problem. The current study aims to address this hypothesis. Students (N=444) from third to sixth grade solved a paper-and-pencil task with 48 mathematics problems, comprising symbolic arithmetic problems and standard word problems, as well as more complex word problems that involve two arithmetic steps or include irrelevant numerical information. Their performance w

SUBMITTER: Hickendorff M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8558208 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature