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Combining examples and procedures

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Date Issued:
1988
Summary:
The present study evaluated three instructional methods for solving algebra word problems. The instructions consisted of either an example, a set of procedures, or both the example and procedures. The procedures were rules designed to aid in solving word problems. The example was a worked-out solution to a word problem that was representative of the test problems. The subject's task was to study the instructional material and then generate the equations needed to solve the subsequent test problems. The test problems differed from the example by either 0, 1, 2, or 3 transformations. The results showed that subjects in the example and example-plus-procedure groups performed the best but the difference between these two groups was not significant. The procedures alone were relatively ineffective. A mathematical model is proposed to explain how the performance was influenced by the three types of instructional material and four levels of transformation.
Title: Combining examples and procedures.
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Name(s): Actor, Cheryl A.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Reed, Stephen K., Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1988
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 48 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The present study evaluated three instructional methods for solving algebra word problems. The instructions consisted of either an example, a set of procedures, or both the example and procedures. The procedures were rules designed to aid in solving word problems. The example was a worked-out solution to a word problem that was representative of the test problems. The subject's task was to study the instructional material and then generate the equations needed to solve the subsequent test problems. The test problems differed from the example by either 0, 1, 2, or 3 transformations. The results showed that subjects in the example and example-plus-procedure groups performed the best but the difference between these two groups was not significant. The procedures alone were relatively ineffective. A mathematical model is proposed to explain how the performance was influenced by the three types of instructional material and four levels of transformation.
Identifier: 14437 (digitool), FADT14437 (IID), fau:11237 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1988.
Subject(s): Problem solving
Educational psychology
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14437
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.