This study investigates the influence of changes in the wording of simple addition and subtraction problems without affecting their semantic structure on the level of difficulty of those problems for first and second graders and on the nature of their errors. The objective is to contribute to a better understanding of the process of constructing a…

The purpose of the study was to survey self-regulation while responding to the addition facts. First graders' performance on microcomputer practice exercises was observed and recorded. Subjects could choose an analytic mode of operation using a symbolic or a finger strategy; or, they could choose a geometric mode of operation using a pictorial or…

Data were collected in the problem representations and solution strategies of 30 first graders who were given a series of simple addition and subtraction word problems. The children were interviewed three times during the school year. The influence of problem structure on children's solution strategies appears more extensive and decisive than that…

Described is a procedure for teaching children to learn to count on with finger patterns after they have learned to count with objects. The technique has been found to be successful with children of all ability levels at grades one and two. (RH)

This study investigated children's representation of addition and subtraction problems with canonical and noncanonical number sentences, to see whether children would directly represent the structure of a problem if both types of sentences were available. Subjects were 22 first graders and 41 second graders randomly assigned either to a Canonical…

Investigated whether children who reflected the structure of word problems with their concrete models were successful in learning to symbolically represent problems with structure-based open number sentences. Forty-five first graders were taught to write canonical and noncanonical open number sentences. (Author/YP)

Reported are data from the first individual interview conducted in 1978 as part of a 3-year study on addition and subtraction using verbal problem solving. The research program is attempting to relate pupil performance on selected arithmetic skills to pupil cognitive processes, instructional materials, and teachers' classroom behaviors. From three…

Reported are data from the second individual interview conducted in 1979 as part of a 3-year study on addition and subtraction using verbal problem solving. From three schools in Wisconsin that used the Developing Mathematical Processes program, l50 first-grade children were individually administered six problem types (two solvable by addition and…

Data are reported from the third individual interview conducted in 1979 as part of a 3-year study on addition and subtraction using verbal problem solving. From three schools in Wisconsin that used the Developing Mathematical Processes program, l50 first-grade children were individually administered six problem types (two solvable by addition and…

Recent research on solving addition and subtraction word problems has resulted in the construction of theoretical models of children's problem-solving processes. Some of these models have been translated into computer programs. Characteristics and predictions of the theoretical analysis developed by Riley, Greeno, and Heller (1983) are discussed…

Most studies of children's solution processes on simple addition and subtraction word problems have used individual interviews or the analysis of error patterns on paper-and-pencil tests as the primary data-gathering techniques. The present paper reports an investigation in which the contribution of eye-movement data was explored for studying…