A study investigated the repertoire of cognitive schemes used by 15 adolescents with mental retardation in the process of solving additive word problems. Findings provide evidence of at least a partial part-part-whole scheme for about half of the students and more use of metacognitive knowledge than is usually expected. (Contains references.)…

Performance on mathematics word problems was compared for 197 students (grades 3-8) with mild disabilities and 210 nondisabled students. Students with disabilities performed at significantly lower levels than typical students. Significant effects were also evident for grade and type of mathematical operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication,…

Examines gender differences in EXPLORE scores of gifted third through sixth graders. Results reveal that boys performed better on Mathematics and Science reasoning, and girls performed better on Reading, but effect sizes were negligible. Test performance of boys in mathematics was somewhat stronger than that of girls, but results favoring girls in…

A study investigated whether an instruction designed to facilitate planning would have differential effects depending on specific planning, attention, simultaneous, successive (PASS) cognitive characteristics of 19 students (ages 12-14) with learning disabilities and mild mental impairments. Children with a cognitive weakness in planning improved…

Specific reading disability/dyslexia is examined as the one type of learning disability for which research results are consistent enough to suggest a model. The implications of this model are considered and three types of learning disabilities are discussed: specific language impairments, specific reading disability/dyslexia, and specific math…

This article presents an overview of two studies that examined the relationship between metacognition and mathematical problem solving in 165 third-graders. Principle components analysis on metacognition revealed that three metacognitive components (global metacognition, off-line metacognition, and attribution to effort) explained 66-67 percent of…

Dyscalculia, a poor understanding of the number concept and the number system, is a learning problem affecting many individuals. However, less is known about this disability than about the reading disability, dyslexia, because society accepts learning problems in mathematics as quite normal. This article provides a summary of the research on…

The paper reports three studies addressing the role of numeral writing for arithmetic performance. About 650 children in the age range 5-7 years participated in the studies. The results demonstrate a positive correlation between number of digits correctly written and number of arithmetic problems solved. The correlations between number of reversed…

This study examined the contributions of the different components of the working memory (WM) model to a range of mathematical skills in children, using measures of WM function that did not involve numerical stimuli. A sample of 148 children (78 Year 3, mean age 8 years and 1 month, and 70 Year 5 pupils, mean age 9 years and 10 months) completed WM…

The purpose of this study was to explore cognitive process used by selected preservice elementary teachers on basic types of problems involving number sense. The sample was selected from students in six intact entry-level mathematics sections of a course populated by preservice elementary school teachers. In the beginning of the semester, the…

The NAEP testing over the past decade shows gradual improvement of test scores at the eighth-grade level, contrary to what many say about stagnant scores. However, by 2000, only one-fourth of eighth graders performed at the proficient level. (Contains 2 tables and 6 figures.)

Two studies were carried out to examine the persistence (Study 1) and characteristics (Study 2) of mathematics learning disability (MLD) in girls with Turner syndrome or fragile X during the primary school years (ages 5-9 years). In Study 1, the rate of MLD for each syndrome group exceeded the rate observed in a grade-matched comparison group,…

In 2 experiments, each involving different mathematical operations, we compared 2 training procedures for teaching component math skills in terms of their effects on the learning and long-term maintenance of composite skill. The dependent variables were learn units to composite task mastery and performance on the composite task 2 months later. The…

As part of a discussion of cognition-based assessment (CBA) for elementary school mathematics, I describe assessment tasks for area and volume measurement and a research-based conceptual framework for interpreting students' reasoning on these tasks. At the core of this conceptual framework is the notion of levels of sophistication. I provide…

In the first part of this article, we briefly present the context of mathematics education in Italy and its specific programs, teaching and assessment methods, use of psychological concepts, and policies in favor of pupils with difficulties. We illustrate the importance and the role of mathematics teachers' associations. In the second part, we…