Teachers’ Perspectives on Addressing Linguistic Factors Affecting Visualisation of Mathematics Word Problems

Abstract

Visualisation plays a critical role in the teaching and learning of mathematics word problems. It is an essential tool for enabling learners to create meaningful mental pictures necessary for solving mathematical problems. Appropriate visualisation requires good reading skills, English proficiency and an understanding of mathematical vocabulary, language and structure. Although visualisation plays such a critical role, teachers often do not pay attention to linguistic factors when teaching mathematics word problems, thus making it difficult for learners to visualise and solve mathematics word problems. This background positions the study to explore teachers' perspectives on the linguistic factors that affect the visualisation of mathematics word problems and to identify appropriate solutions to these. Using a single-case exploratory study, the perspectives of six mathematics teachers were elicited through focus group discussions and reflection sessions. The data collected were analysed through thematic analysis techniques. The findings indicate strategies to address the lack of reading skills, including understanding mathematical language and the structure and ambiguities of mathematics word problems.

Unveiling problem-solving strategies of pre-service mathematics teachers: A visual and discursive exploration

“…Reading the problem statement carefully assisted her to identify vital information that led to identifying key symbolic visual mediators. This aligns with Moleko's (2021) study, which found that mathematics teachers use the strategy of highlighting keywords to teach problem-solving and visualization skills.…”

“…I did not think that the problem was in 3D … (PMT6). Moleko (2021) maintains that reading mathematical word problems without full comprehension can make it difficult to reason and create useful mental images or geometric visual aids for problem-solving. In PMT6's case, her limited ability to visualize, combined with inadequate reading comprehension, led to difficulty in solving the second question in part A of the performance test.…”

“…Although English is the medium of instruction at the institution, where the participants were studying, PMT4's difficulty understanding the problem indicates that language barriers can still be a challenge for third-year mathematics students. Proficiency in English, reading skills, and understanding mathematical terminology are important for success in visualizing mathematics word problems (Moleko, 2021).…”

Scoring rubric design to measure the ability to prove plane geometry problems not accompanied by image visualization

“…Making visualizations when proving is crucial because it will produce the desired evidence (VanSpronsen, 2008). Visualization enables students to create meaningful mental images to solve mathematical problems (Moleko, 2021). Making image visualization is an instrumental deconstruction that lays the foundation for problem-solving.…”

Visualisation to support children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder learning to solve mathematical word problems: A randomised controlled trial

“…Mathematical word problems can be defined as descriptions of circumstances involving one or more problems that can be solved by performing appropriate mathematical operations on given numerical information (Verschaffel et al, 2010, 2020). As word problems are often presented in everyday contexts, they represent the interaction between mathematics and real life (Moleko, 2021). Solving word problems involves multiple mathematical thinking processes, for example, understanding, planning, calculations and verification (Csíkos & Szitányi, 2019).…”