This paper reports on an experiment comparing students’ results on image-rich numeracy problems and on equivalent word problems. Given the well reported problematic nature of word problems, the hypothesis is that students score better on image-rich numeracy problems than on comparable word problems. To test the hypothesis a randomized controlled trial was conducted with 31,842 students from primary, secondary, and vocational education. The trial consisted of 21 numeracy problems in two versions: word problems and image-rich problems. The hypothesis was confirmed for the problems used in this experiment. With the insights gained we intend to improve the assessment of students’ abilities in solving quantitative problems from daily life. Numeracy, word problem, image-rich problem, randomized controlled trial, assessment
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Presentation at the ALM28 Conference: Numeracy and Vulnerability, 5-7 july, Universität Hamburg, Germany.
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The aim of this study is to contribute to the body of knowledge on the use of contextual mathematical problems. Word problems are a predominant genre in mathematics classrooms in assessing students’ ability to solve problems from everyday life. Research on word problems, however, reveals a range of difficulties in their use in mathematics education. In our research we took an alternative approach: we designed image-rich numeracy problems as alternatives for word problems. A set of word problems was modified by systematically replacing the descriptive representation of the problem situation by a more depictive representation and an instrument was designed to measure the effect of this modification on students’ performance. The instrument can measure the effect of this alternative approach in a randomized controlled trial. In order to use the instrument at scale, we made this instrument also usable as a diagnostic test for an upcoming nationwide examination on numeracy. In this article we explain and discuss the design of the instrument and the validation of its intended uses.
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