Bar Model as Intervention in Solving Word Problem Involving Percentage

Abstract

This experimental case-study examined the performance of convenient sampling of fourty-five Year 9 students in solving word problems involving percentage from two classes in one government secondary school in Brunei Darussalam, using Bar Model as a solving strategy. Data was gathered quantitatively through written tests in the form of six word problem items as pre-test and post-test. The mean score of the pre-test was 0.93 indicating that the performance of the participating Year 9 students in solving word problems involving percentage was low prior to intervention. Intervention lessons produced a gain in the post-test mean to 2.87. Although the mean of post-test marks is still lower than the passing mark of the test, paired-sample t-test provided evidence of significance, thus proving that Bar Model Method had positive effect to the performance of word problem involving percentage. Evidence also indicated an increase in the students' overall marks from pre-test to post-test, with almost all except two students failed the pre-test to twenty-six students achieving marks above passing mark of 3 in post-test. Item-by-item analysis showed increase in correct responses in every item in post-test, even those with no attempts in pretest. These provided further evidence that there is overall improvement in students' performance in word problems related to percentage after the use of Bar Model as intervention.

Supporting Solving Word Problems Involving Ratio Through the Bar Model

“…This implied that the lesson intervention of the Bar Model method had successfully enhanced the students' performance in solving word problems involving ratio. This result is consistent with studies by Gani et al (2019), Madani et al (2018), Mahoney (2012), and Timah (2006), where the use of the Bar Model successfully improved the students' problem solving performance in their respective topics.…”

“…The use of the Bar Model is also one of the strategies adopted in Singapore classrooms taught as early as possible in elementary schools, thus making Singaporean students one of the best math problem solvers as reported in TIMMS and PISA. Besides, previous empirical studies have shown the Bar Model's effectiveness in improving students' performance in word problems in Singapore and Brunei (Gani et al, 2019;Madani et al, 2018;Mahoney, 2012;Timah, 2006). All of this is a good justification for introducing the Bar Model to students in the country to solve word problems.…”

KNOWS strategy in action: Solving word problems involving ratios

“…Applying the strategy helps students analyze, form mental images, make meaning, and represent the problem diagrammatically bar models. This helps students analyze the problems more efficiently and creatively (Abdul Gani et al, 2019;Ding, 2018;Said & Tengah, 2021;Belenky & Schalk, 2014;van Garderen & Scheuermann, 2015;Woodward et al, 2012).…”

“…Moreover, a weak understanding of mathematical concepts and an ineffective planning strategy could lead to unsatisfactory student achievement in solving mathematical word problems (Abdul Gani et al, 2019; Greeno & Collins, 2008; Kani & Shahrill, 2015). According to Abdul Gani et al (2019), insufficient awareness of executing a proper technique leads to fruitless effort in solving word problems. Nevertheless, Greeno and Collins (2008) argued that implementing specific guidance and a reliable approach to tackling word problems can foster students’ problem-solving skills.…”

“…A bar model is a pictorial representation of a problem by using boxes or bars to represent the unknown and known quantities. The literature (e.g., Abdul Gani et al, 2019; Said & Tengah, 2021) highlights that secondary school students successfully applied the bar model to answer word problems in different mathematics topics. For example, Ding (2018) argued that using bar models to solve word problems in various mathematics topics contributed to higher student achievement in China and Singapore.…”