scholarly journals Arithmetic Word Problems Revisited: Cognitive Processes and Academic Performance in Secondary School

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Gonzalo Duque de Blas ◽  
Isabel Gómez-Veiga ◽  
Juan A. García-Madruga

Solving arithmetic word problems is a complex task that requires individuals to activate their working memory resources, as well as the correct performance of the underlying executive processes involved in order to inhibit semantic biases or superficial responses caused by the problem’s statement. This paper describes a study carried out with 135 students of Secondary Obligatory Education, each of whom solved 5 verbal arithmetic problems: 2 consistent problems, whose mathematical operation (add/subtract) and the verbal statement of the problem coincide, and 3 inconsistent problems, whose required operation is the inverse of the one suggested by the verbal term(s). Measures of reading comprehension, visual–spatial reasoning and deductive reasoning were also obtained. The results show the relationship between arithmetic problems and cognitive measures, as well as the ability of these problems to predict academic performance. Regression analyses confirmed that arithmetic word problems were the only measure with significant power of association with academic achievement in both History/Geography (β = 0.25) and Mathematics (β = 0.23).

Author(s):  
Matthew E. Fasano-McCarron ◽  
Jane Holmes Bernstein ◽  
Deborah P. Waber ◽  
Jane W. Newburger ◽  
David R. DeMaso ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: This study examined longitudinal associations between performance on the Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure–Developmental Scoring System (ROCF-DSS) at 8 years of age and academic outcomes at 16 years of age in 133 children with dextro-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA). Method: The ROCF-DSS was administered at the age of 8 and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, First and Second Edition (WIAT/WIAT-II) at the ages of 8 and 16, respectively. ROCF-DSS protocols were classified by Organization (Organized/Disorganized) and Style (Part-oriented/Holistic). Two-way univariate (ROCF-DSS Organization × Style) ANCOVAs were computed with 16-year academic outcomes as the dependent variables and socioeconomic status (SES) as the covariate. Results: The Organization × Style interaction was not statistically significant. However, ROCF-DSS Organization at 8 years was significantly associated with Reading, Math, Associative, and Assembled academic skills at 16 years, with better organization predicting better academic performance. Conclusions: Performance on the ROCF-DSS, a complex visual-spatial problem-solving task, in children with d-TGA can forecast academic performance in both reading and mathematics nearly a decade later. These findings may have implications for identifying risk in children with other medical and neurodevelopmental disorders affecting brain development.


2015 ◽  
Vol 223 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn H. Kroesbergen ◽  
Marloes van Dijk

Recent research has pointed to two possible causes of mathematical (dis-)ability: working memory and number sense, although only few studies have compared the relations between working memory and mathematics and between number sense and mathematics. In this study, both constructs were studied in relation to mathematics in general, and to mathematical learning disabilities (MLD) in particular. The sample consisted of 154 children aged between 6 and 10 years, including 26 children with MLD. Children performing low on either number sense or visual-spatial working memory scored lower on math tests than children without such a weakness. Children with a double weakness scored the lowest. These results confirm the important role of both visual-spatial working memory and number sense in mathematical development.


Author(s):  
Alberto Quílez-Robres ◽  
Nieves Moyano ◽  
Alejandra Cortés-Pascual

Academic achievement has been linked to executive functions. However, it is necessary to clarify the different predictive role that executive functions have on general and specific academic achievement and to determine the most predictive executive factor of this academic achievement. The relationship and predictive role between executive functions and their components (initiative, working memory, task monitoring, organization of materials, flexibility, emotional control, inhibition, self-monitoring) with academic achievement are analyzed in this study, both globally and specifically in the areas of Language Arts and Mathematics, in 133 students from 6 to 9 years of age. The relationship obtained in Pearson’s correlation analysis does not differ substantially between overall achievement (r = 0.392) and specific achievement (r = 0.361, r = 0.361), but task monitoring (r = 0.531, r = 0.455, r = 0.446) and working memory (r = 0.512, r = 0.475, r = 0.505) had a greater relationship with general and specific achievement. Finally, regression analyses based on correlation results indicate that executive functions predict general academic performance (14.7%) and specific performance (12.3%, 12.2%) for Language Arts and Mathematics, respectively. Furthermore, working memory and task supervision represent 32.5% of general academic performance, 25.5% of performance in Language Arts, and 27.1% of performance in Mathematics. In conclusion, this study yielded exploratory data on the possible executive functions (task supervision and working memory) responsible for good general academic achievements and specific academic achievements in Mathematics and Language Arts.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-74
Author(s):  
Rochelle Gutiérrez

We are in an interesting historical moment in mathematics teacher education. On the one and, there is greater realization within our field of the connections between systems of power and mathematics (O'Neil, 2016). We are starting to acknowledge how mathematics education can be viewed as dehumanizing for both students and teachers as well as what might constitute rehumanizing practices (Gutiérrez, in press). Our professional organizations are calling for teachers to move beyond simplistic notions of equity to understand these power dimensions and challenge the system on behalf of (and in community with) Black,1 Indigenous,2 and Latinx3 students in particular


Vestnik ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 155-160
Author(s):  
А.Е. Малибаева ◽  
Б.К. Кайрат ◽  
А.И. Нуфтиева ◽  
Л.Б. Умбетьярова ◽  
М.С. Кулбаева ◽  
...  

В современных стрессовых и негативных внешних экологических условиях растет число неуверенных в себе, эмоционально неустойчивых тревожных детей. В работах А.И.Захаровой, Н.В.Имеладзе, Л.М. Прихожановой говорится, что когда человек постоянно волнуется - возникает паника. Согласно анализу исследований многих авторов, детская тревога, с одной стороны, имеет психодинкамическую природу, с другой-является результатом социализации. По мнению психологов, у учащихся наблюдается высокий уровень тревожности в процессе обучения. В результате изучения данной проблемы установлено, что уровень тревожности и успеваемость ребенка тесно взаимосвязаны. Процесс приобщения детей, пришедших в школу, к процессу обучения тесно связан с процессом паники . In the current stressful and negative external environmental conditions, the number of insecure, emotionally unstable children with anxiety is growing. In the works of A.I. Zakharova, N.V. Imeladze, L.M. Prikhozhan, it is said that when a person is constantly agitated, panic occurs. According to the analysis of the research of many authors, child anxiety, on the one hand, has a psychodynamic nature, and on the other-is the result of socialization. According to psychologists, there is a high level of anxiety in students ' learning process. As a result of the study of this problem, it was found that the level of anxiety and the child's academic performance are closely related. The process of adaptation of children to the learning process is closely related to the panic process. However, the level of anxiety in lower-class students affects the learning process and learning outcomes.


Author(s):  
Marcos Kubrusly ◽  
Paulo Goberlânio de Barros Silva ◽  
Gabriel Vidal de Vasconcelos ◽  
Emanuel Delano Lima Gonçalves Leite ◽  
Priscilla de Almeida Santos ◽  
...  

Abstract: Introduction: As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the adoption of technology remains one of the defining factors of human progress. Nomophobia (NO MObile PHOne PhoBIA) represents a mental condition caused by the fear of being detached from mobile phone connectivity. Such condition is directly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Moreover, nomophobia can lead to structural brain damage. Objective: The present study aims to assess the effect of nomophobia on medical students at a private institution and its association with depression, anxiety, stress and academic performance. Method: This is a cross-sectional observational study carried out in medical students at Centro Universitário Christus. Nomophobia was measured using the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q). The NMP-Q has 20 questions, which are asked on a 7-point Likert scale. This scale has been validated for the Brazilian Portuguese language. Depression, anxiety and stress were measured by the DASS-21, a simplified version of the DASS instrument. The DASS-21 questionnaire was also validated for the Brazilian Portuguese language. Academic performance was measured through API, the product of a complex mathematical operation that results in the student’s average grade in the semester and functions as a reference index for pedagogical follow-up in the assessed institution. In addition, the device use habits were assessed. Descriptive results were presented, and bivariate analyses of association and correlation were performed. This study was approved by the research ethics committee. Result: A sample of 292 students was assessed. Virtually all students (99.7%) had some degree of nomophobia, and 64.5% had a moderate or severe level of nomophobia. More than 50% of the students had higher than mild degrees of stress, and 19.5% and 11.2% of the students had severe or very severe levels of anxiety and depression, respectively. When analyzing the correlation of NMP-Q with DASS-21 scores, it was observed that increases in NMP-Q lead to increases in the overall DASS score (p < 0.001), and that worse results in DASS-21 are associated with worse API. Conclusion: Our study suggests that nomophobia is likely to increase anxiety, stress and depression and, as a result, leads to a decrease in academic performance.


Author(s):  
Libuše Samková ◽  
Lukáš Rokos ◽  
Lukáš Vízek

This contribution belongs to a larger empirical study that focuses on issues related to the implementation of inquiry-based learning and formative assessment in science and mathematics education, while it also refers to the issue of STEM education. Here, we discuss the two topics from the perspective of professional preparation of primary school teachers. We employ an educational tool called Concept Cartoons and perceive it as a common diagnostic tool for investigating modes of reasoning about general statements in arithmetic, geometry and biology. The presented qualitative exploratory empirical study maps and codes various kinds of reasoning that can be identified with the tool and investigates possibilities of a joint coding procedure. As a result, it provides a conversion table between various modes of reasoning in the three subject domains. The arisen code categories cover the field of generic examples, including the initial stages so that they can be used for scaffolding the process of learning the foundations of deductive reasoning. The joint approach to reasoning in mathematics and biology shows how argumentation and formative assessment can be understood equally and developed simultaneously in both school subjects. It helps us to see how the two school subjects can be integrated didactically.


Author(s):  
Mahama, Inuusah ◽  
Kwaw, Regine ◽  
Mensah, Kwame Jonathan ◽  
Acheampong, Ebenezer ◽  
Marfo, Richard

Aims: This study sought to explore the moderating role of gender in the relationship between creative thinking and academic performance in English Language and Mathematics among Junior High School students in the Aboom Circuit, Cape Coast. Study Design: The design for the study is correlational espousing the quantitative approach. The study was guided by two research hypotheses, which were tested using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and Andrew F. Hayes Moderation Process. The instruments for the data collection were Kumar, Kemmler and Holman (1997) Creativity Styles Questionnaire-Revised (CSQ-R) and standardised-type test developed by experts in the various subject areas. Results: The study revealed significant relationship between creative thinking and academic performance of students (English Language: r=.432, n=140, p=0.05, p=.003, 2-tailed; Mathematics: r=.401, n=140 p=0.05, p=0.000, 2-talied). The study further revealed that gender moderated significantly in the relationship between creativity and academic performance (English Language: b=-.276, t=-2.398, CI= -.485, -.088; Mathematics: b=-.300, t=-2.198, CI= -.564, -.070). As such, male respondents had higher creative thinking effect in English Language and Mathematics than female respondents (b=.371, t=4.608, CI [.212, .530; b=.219, t=2.286, CI [.030, .407]). Conclusion: Creative thinking indeed relates to performance, as such, it was recommended  that creative thinking should be nurtured among all students in J.H.S. In addition, stakeholders in education should consider including creative thinking in the curriculum and pay special attention to nurturing creative think in female students so that they could match up with their male counterparts.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-59
Author(s):  
Onyekwere Nonye Adamma ◽  
Okoro Pauline Ekwutosim ◽  
Eugene Chukwuemeka Unamba

The study investigated the influence of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on pupils’ academic performance in mathematics. Based on the purpose of the study two hypotheses guided the study. The descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of all 3056 primary six pupils in Owerri Education zone of Imo State.  A Sample size of 200 primary six pupils was selected for the study.   Simple random sampling technique was used in selecting four schools out of the nine schools. The instruments used for data collection was Academic Motivation Scale and Mathematics Achievement Test. The validity was determined by two experts in measurement and evaluation and one expert in mathematics education. The instruments have reliability coefficient of 0.89 and 0.92 determined using tests-retest method. Data generated were analyzed with the aid SPSS version.  Inferential statistics of t-test and Pearson product moment correlation were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study concludes that motivation improves academic performance of the pupils and there is a gender difference in motivation type and academic performance. 


2018 ◽  
pp. 303-313
Author(s):  
Christopher P. Guzelian

Two years ago, Bob Mulligan and I empirically tested whether the Bank of Amsterdam, a prototypical central bank, had caused a boom-bust cycle in the Amsterdam commodities markets in the 1780s owing to the bank’s sudden initiation of low-fractional-re-serve banking (Guzelian & Mulligan 2015).1 Widespread criticism came quickly after we presented our data findings at that year’s Austrian Economic Research Conference. Walter Block representa-tively responded: «as an Austrian, I maintain you cannot «test» apodictic theories, you can only illustrate them».2 Non-Austrian, so-called «empirical» economists typically have no problem with data-driven, inductive research. But Austrians have always objected strenuously on ontological and epistemolog-ical grounds that such studies do not produce real knowledge (Mises 1998, 113-115; Mises 2007). Camps of economists are talking past each other in respective uses of the words «testing» and «eco-nomic theory». There is a vital distinction between «testing» (1) an economic proposition, praxeologically derived, and (2) the rele-vance of an economic proposition, praxeologically derived. The former is nonsensical; the latter may be necessary to acquire eco-nomic theory and knowledge. Clearing up this confusion is this note’s goal. Rothbard (1951) represents praxeology as the indispensible method for gaining economic knowledge. Starting with a Aristote-lian/Misesian axiom «humans act» or a Hayekian axiom of «humans think», a voluminous collection of logico-deductive eco-nomic propositions («theorems») follows, including theorems as sophisticated and perhaps unintuitive as the one Mulligan and I examined: low-fractional-reserve banking causes economic cycles. There is an ontological and epistemological analog between Austrian praxeology and mathematics. Much like praxeology, we «know» mathematics to be «true» because it is axiomatic and deductive. By starting with Peano Axioms, mathematicians are able by a long process of creative deduction, to establish the real number system, or that for the equation an + bn = cn, there are no integers a, b, c that satisfy the equation for any integer value of n greater than 2 (Fermat’s Last Theorem). But what do mathematicians mean when they then say they have mathematical knowledge, or that they have proven some-thing «true»? Is there an infinite set of rational numbers floating somewhere in the physical universe? Naturally no. Mathemati-cians mean that they have discovered an apodictic truth — some-thing unchangeably true without reference to physical reality because that truth is a priori.


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