Different complex word problems require different combinations of cognitive skills

Abstract

Mathematical word problem solving is influenced by various characteristics of the task and the person solving it. Yet, previous research has rarely related these characteristics to holistically answer which word problem requires which set of individual cognitive skills. In the present study, we conducted a secondary data analysis on a dataset of N = 1282 undergraduate students solving six mathematical word problems from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Previous results had indicated substantial variability in the contribution of individual cognitive skills to the correct solution of the different tasks. Here, we exploratively reanalyzed the data to investigate which task characteristics may account for this variability, considering verbal, arithmetic, spatial, and general reasoning skills simultaneously. Results indicate that verbal skills were the most consistent predictor of successful word problem solving in these tasks, arithmetic skills only predicted the correct solution of word problems containing calculations, spatial skills predicted solution rates in the presence of a visual representation, and general reasoning skills were more relevant in simpler problems that could be easily solved using heuristics. We discuss possible implications, emphasizing how word problems may differ with regard to the cognitive skills required to solve them correctly.

A study on whether nonverbal inductive reasoning predicts mathematical performance

“…Therefore, it is not difficult to understand the significant correlation between language and symbolic mathematics. For situational mathematics, the significant predictive effect of language ability is consistent with the findings of previous studies (Fuchs et al, 2006; Pongsakdi et al, 2020; Strohmaier et al, 2021). This is because when solving such problems, students first need to read and understand the text and choose the information that is useful for solving the problem, with the selection process being mainly dependent on their language ability.…”

“…The task has good reliability, with a split half reliability of 0.92 (Wei, Yuan, et al, 2012). Language ability significantly correlates with mathematical performance (Fuchs et al, 2006; Pongsakdi et al, 2020; Strohmaier et al, 2021). Both language and mathematics performance develop as a result of learning symbolic systems and have the function of the g factor.…”

Rasch model assessment of algebraic word problem among year 8 Malaysian students

“…As a result, the difficulty level of word problems is determined not only by their linguistic, algebraic, and arithmetic characteristics, but also by their requirement for non-routine thinking [34], different combinations of cognitive skills [35] and deeper comprehension [36], [37], which can contribute for the differences in difficulty levels. However, the evidence for this finding is insufficient since the word problems employed in this study are not designed in a systematic manner to compare these characteristics.…”

Habilidades Metacognitivas en Los Procesos De Aprendizaje en La Educación Superior: Una Revisión Sistemática 2017-2022

“…Otras estrategias metacognitivas utilizadas para fortalecer las habilidades metacognitivas de los estudiantes fueron: Tutoría entre pares (De Backer, et al, 2020;Jang, et al, 2020;De Backer, et al, 2021 Coaching académico (Howlett, 2021); entre otras (Fritzsche et al, 2018;Shang, 2018;Williams et al, 2019;Yuruk et al, 2019;Hayashi, 2020;Siqueira et al, 2020;Dokme y Koyunlu Unlu, 2021;Howlett, et al, 2021;Strohmaier et al, 2022;Omarchevska, et al, 2022;Teng, et al, 2022).…”