ERIC Number: EJ1315929
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0888-4080
EISSN: EISSN-1099-0720
Symbolizing Algebraic Story Problems: Are Diagrams Helpful?
Anna N. Bartel; Martha W. Alibali
Applied Cognitive Psychology, v35 n6 p1427-1442 Nov-Dec 2021
Many people find that solving story problems is challenging. A key source of the difficulty is symbolizing problem situations. In two experiments, we tested whether diagrams promoted successful symbolization of two-operator story problems, and we tested whether diagrams that depicted the integration of operations were more beneficial than diagrams that depicted the two operations separately. Findings in the two experiments were similar but not identical. Overall, participants were more likely to generate conceptually correct equations--though not always in integrated form--in the presence of diagrams, and this pattern was driven by the beneficial effects of diagrams for participants with lower visuospatial abilities. Further, participants with more negative attitudes towards mathematics were more likely to generate integrated equations with diagrams that depicted the integration of operations. Thus, the effects of diagrams varied across subgroups of participants.
Descriptors: Symbols (Mathematics), Visual Aids, Word Problems (Mathematics), Equations (Mathematics), Spatial Ability, Student Attitudes, Mathematics Anxiety
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Related Records: ED664535
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305B150003
Data File: URL: https://osf.io/k6gj7/?view_only=f1508dd2a4474fb197a454c26651d1f6