Children Solving Arithmetic Word Problems

Understanding mathematics is critical for survival in today’s world. It helps us to make sense of and solve problems in everyday life, such as paying at the checkout counter, deciding how much food is sufficient for a party, and budgeting for a trip. Indeed, children start learning how to solve practical problems mathematically in the elementary schools. In particular, they have to learn how to transform word problems into algorithms to obtain a solution. It is common that children find solving arithmetic word problems very challenging, and that teachers and parents find it hard to understand where the children’s difficulties are and how to help them. In a series of two studies, we aim at understanding the process of solving arithmetic word problems, and exploring how we can enhance children’s arithmetic problem-solving. In particular, we ask two important questions: (1) what are the crucial cognitive steps in solving arithmetic word problems? and (2) what kinds of illustrations can enhance children’s performance in arithmetic word problem-solving?

Funding Source: UGC - Funding from The University of Hong Kong^