The Effect of Cognitive Strategy Training on Verbal Math Problem Solving Performance of Learning Disabled Adolescents

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of an eight-step cognitive strategy on verbal math problem solving performance of six learning disabled adolescents. The cognitive strategy was designed to enable students to read, understand, carry out, and check verbal math problems that are encountered in the general math curriculum at the secondary level. Conditions of the multiple baseline desing included baseline, treatment, generalization, maintenance, and retraining. During treatment, students received strategy acquisition training, strategy application practice, and testing. Visual analysis of the data indicated this eight-step cognitive strategy to be an effective intervention for this sample of students who had deficits in verbal math problem solving. Overall, the students demonstrated impoved performance on twostep verbal math problems. Maintenance and generalization of the strategy were evident. This study has implications for an alternative teaching methodology that focuses on cognitive strategy training to improve the verbal math problem solving of learning disabled students.

Effects of Mathematical Word Problem Solving by Students At Risk or With Mild Disabilities

“…Word problem-solving instruction in mathematics for students with mild disabilities has shifted from an emphasis on instruction in key words and computational skills to a focus on instruction in problem comprehension (Englert et al, 1987) and cognitive and metacognitive processing (e.g., Montague, 1992Montague, , 1995. It is an instruction that emphasizes conceptual understanding (Hiebert & Carpenter, 1992).…”

“…In their research synthesis, Jitendra and Xin found only 14 published studies conducted in the last I0 years that involved the use of systematic strategies for mathematics word problem solving with students with identified disabilities or with students who were receiving remedial mathematics instruction. Most of the approaches reported in the literature have relied on information processing or cognitive models of mathematical problem solving (Case, Harris, & Graham, 1992;Hutchinson, 1993;Jitendra & Hoff, 1996;Montague, 1992;Montague, Applegate, & Marquard, 1993;Montague & Bos, 1986;Zawaiza & Gerber, 1993). These models emphasize problem representation (i.e., translating a problem from words into a meaningful representation) and problem solution (i.e., both solution planning and execution of mathematical operations).…”

Worked Examples Versus Non‐goal‐specific Problems: a test of schema development in geometry

“…The idiographic detail of schemata acquisition this present study provides through a continuous measure of problem-solving ability illustrates the potential that within-subject methodology has for research in problem-solving skills training (Montague & Bos, 1986;Church, 1991;Montague, 1992). However, two limitations to the present study must be acknowledged.…”

The Effects of Learning Strategy Instruction on Achievement, Attitude, and Achievement Motivation in a Physics Course

“…During the intervention, the strategy group received explicit strategy plus traditional instruction in whole-class format for four classes (45 min each) a week. Strategy instruction composed of two training phases called strategy acquisition and strategy application as used in Montague and Bos (1986). Strategy acquisiton is the phase where students learn the particular learning strategies (in this study, questioning, summarizing, and graphic organizers).…”