Use of a mathematics word problem strategy to improve achievement for students with mild disabilities

• Other Authors: Taber, Mary R.
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Florida Atlantic University
• Subjects: Achievement in education; Children with disabilities > Education; Word problems (Mathematics) > Study and teaching; Mathematics > Remedial teaching; Response to intervention (Learning disabled children)
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3361253

Mathematics can be a difficult topic both to teach and to learn. Word problems specifically can be difficult for students with disabilities because they have to conceptualize what the problem is asking for, and they must perform the correct operation accurately. Current trends in mathematics instruction stem from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Principles and Standards for School Mathematics that call for an inquiry learning model (NCTM, 2000). Unfortunately, this model may not be sufficient to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Researchers are currently looking at what elements will assist students with disabilities to learn mathematics both conceptually and procedurally. Explicit direct instruction, modeling, guided and independent practice, and providing advanced organizers have been found to help students with disabilities to be successful. Results indicated that students with mild disabilities were able to use the strategy independently to accurately solve the training word problems using division or multiplication. Also, students were able to generalize both the strategy use as well as the word problem accuracy to the measurement of area problems. Additionally, two of the three students continued to use the strategy appropriately to accurately solve word problems in the 6-week follow-up phase. Suggestions for future studies are provided as well as educational implications. === by Mary R. Taber. === Thesis (Ed.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. === Includes bibliography. === Mode of access: World Wide Web. === System requirements: Adobe Reader.