Background: Real-world problems are important in math instruction, but they do not necessarily trigger students' task motivation. Personalizing real-world problems by (1) matching problems to students' shared living environment (context personalization) and (2) asking students to pose their own problems (active personalization) might be two…

Word problem solving skills include complex skills. Teaching word problem solving skills to students with disabilities is more difficult compared to their peers with typical development. Therefore, effective interventions need to be determined in order to teach these skills to students with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to analyze the…

This paper explores the role of diagrams in a specific problem solving process. Two types of tests were administered to 194, 12 year old students, each of which consisted of six non-routine problems that could be solved with the use of a diagram. In Test A students were asked to respond to the problems in any way they wished whereas in Test B…

Studies differences in boys' and girls' (N=158) mathematical problem-solving behavior in relation to two types of tasks, computations and applications. Differences were dependent on contents of tasks and gender. Girls rated themselves lower on confidence and attributed bad results more often to lack of capacity and to the task difficulty. No…

Investigates the effect of collaboration on problem-solving performance and learning in the context of a complex, video-based mathematics problem. High-achieving 6th-grade students (N=96) were assigned to collaborative or individual problem-solving conditions. Results reveal that students in the collaborative condition outperformed students in the…

Describes a study of fifth- and sixth-grade students that investigated the patterns of peer interaction among students working cooperatively in small groups on a computer-based problem-solving task and the effects of gender and group composition on peer interaction. Suggestions for future research are included. (Contains 86 references.) (LRW)

Reports on a study of the effects of a peer-mediation training program among 92 elementary school students. Finds that the training program was successful in teaching negotiation and mediation procedures and skills. Reports that the training dramatically reduced the number of conflicts referred to teachers and principal. (CFR)