An investigation of the effect of presentation of pictorial accompaniments with mathematical word problems upon the ability of grade ten students to arrive at a correct solution to the problem

• Main Author: Spurrell, Margaret Nancy.
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 1975
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/7758/; https://research.library.mun.ca/7758/1/Spurrell_MargaretNancy.pdf; https://research.library.mun.ca/7758/3/Spurrell_MargaretNancy.pdf

Purpose. The purpose of the present study was to compare the results of mathematics word problems solved by tenth-grade students when these problems were presented in three different forms: in word form only or as Type-A questions, in word form accompanied by an accurate pictorial representation of the problem or as Type-B questions, and in word form accompanied by an inaccurate pictorial representation of the problem or as Type-C questions. -- Sample. The sample consisted of 90 "good", 98 "average" and 92 "poor" tenth-grade students. These 280 students were selected from ten schools chosen at random from the geographic region east of Grand Falls, Newfoundland (inclusive) and south of Carmanville, Newfoundland (inclusive). Each of these 280 was selected on the basis of agreement by at least two of his mathematics teachers that the student satisfied the study definition of a "good", "average", or "poor" problem solver. -- Hypotheses tested. The nine hypotheses tested in this study can be grouped into three. They are: -- 1. "Good", "average" and "poor" problem solvers score significantly higher on problems given as Type-B questions than they do on these same problems given as Type-A questions. -- 2. "Good", "average" and "poor" problem solvers score significantly higher on problems given as Type-B questions than they do on these same problems given as Type-C questions. -- 3. "Good", "average" and "poor" problem solvers score significantly higher on problems given as Type-A questions than they do on these same problems given as Type-C questions. -- Method and procedures. Three alternate tests, Tests I, II and III were developed for the study. Each test contained the same 21 items. Seven of these 21 test items were Type-A questions, seven were Type-B questions and seven were Type-C questions. The seven Type-A questions on Test I appeared as Type-B questions on Test II and as Type-C questions on Test III. All tests were administered by the investigator. Each participating student was given one 2-hour afternoon ...