ACTION RESEARCH

                                                  INTRODUCTION

In this action research study of my VIII standard students of GHSS Amaravathy of mathematics, I investigated

word problems. I discovered that my students did not like to try word problems because they did

not understand what was being asked of them. I also discovered

that knowing how to decode a word problem is only one facet of being a successful problem

solver. I also discovered that confidence, effective instruction, and practice have an impact on

improving problem solving skills. My students also saw no reason for solving word

problems or in having the ability to solve them. I used word problems that covered topics that

were familiar to the students and that covered the skills necessary at the viii standard  level. I

wanted to deepen their understanding of math and its importance. By having my students journal

to me about the steps that they had taken along the way to solve the word problem I was able to

see where confusion occurred. Consequently I was able to help clarify where my students made

mistakes. Also, through writing down the steps taken, students did see more clearly where their

errors took place. Each time that my students wrote their explanations to the steps that they used

in solving the word problems they did solved them more easily. As I observed my students they

took more time in writing their explanations and did not look at it as such a difficult task

anymore.

Our school is located in a rural setting, and the building that we are in is 25 years old.

Most of the people in our community come from homes where both parents work in estates.     Our school is comprised of LP,UP,HS and HSS. This year each level had approximately 1000 students in it

                                                                                                                                                           

The topic of my inquiry was mathematical word problems. I chose this topic because I

noticed that my students would either skip word problems or put little effort into solving them.

When I would mention that we were going to solve word problems in math class, they would

groan as if I had asked them to eat their vegetables. This was bothersome to me because I

enjoyed solving word problems as a child, and I felt such satisfaction when I did so. This skill of

problem solving has been a very valuable skill over the years, and I want my students to leave

VIII standard with this skill and the confidence to solve word problems or real problems that they

encounter in life. If my students could feel this sense of accomplishment when solving word

problems it would be wonderful.

I began my inquiry as to why these students did not care for word problems or did not try

to solve them. Most of the comments had to do with the fact that they found the word problems

confusing and they were not sure what they were being asked to solve. They did not have the

skills to pull out information that was not necessary. My students also had a preconceived

attitude that the word problems solved problems that had nothing to do with them or anything

that they would need to solve in the future. The word problems that were part of our math series

dealt with topics that many of my students knew nothing about. My students gave me many

topics that they felt would interest them and make them more willing to solve the word problem.

The materials available with our textbook were limited on word

problems. Many of the topics used in the word problems were not interesting to VIII standard. When the students saw the word challenge in front of a problem they immediately felt defeated. I will have to supplement our district material with my own word problems and worksheets.

Problem Statement

                   The issue of teaching that I considered for my research was the issue of word problems and students’ lack of enthusiasm in solving word problems. My question was if the students were taught a step-by -step method of solving word problems, would this increase their expertise and

enthusiasm? Before my research, in my classroom the minute the students saw a story problem on a worksheet or in their book, they would run right up and ask for help before they even had looked at the problem carefully. Many times they just wrote some answer down so that they could say that their homework was finished. The next day when we corrected the assignment and talked about the problems my students rarely asked how to solve the word problem. When we discussed the steps to solve a word problem the students did not seem very interested at all. I explained to word problem. I want them to see how much fun word problems

can be and how they will help them to better understand the math concepts that they have been

taught up to this point.

                      Through my research I hope to find ways to help my students see the importance and

the fun of solving word problems and real-life problems. I hope to show them some tools that

will help them solve problems.

Actually if things go well, my students would be the

ones that could share with others how to successfully solve word problems. My hope is that they

will in turn share this with others out in the community.

Literature Review

Word problems can be such a valuable learning tool once one is able to get away from

the stigma that the term “word problem” brings with it. The topic of my project was to make

sense of word problems. When my students feel good about themselves and the fact that they

have learned a new math skill through the use of word problems, I will have met my goal. In

reading research related to this topic, four basic themes appeared. First and foremost, the concept

that teachers needed to change the way that they taught word problems; sometimes this could be

as simple as changing the structure of the word problems themselves. Second, students should be

encouraged to draw pictures and doodle as they solved the problem. Third, making a connection

of the word problems to the children’s lives made the learning more meaningful and lasting for

them. Fourth, the students should be tested before the skill was taught and after learning the skill

to see how the teaching affected the learning of the students.

Changing the Teaching Strategies

In reading research about word problems and how they were taught, all of the articles that

I read made some mention of the fact that the approach that teachers have taken in the past for

teaching this skill needed to change. Okoka (2004) had four steps to successfully teach word

problems and have them make sense to the students. The steps were very simple but effective.

First, use cooperative groups when solving the word problems. Second, allow students enough

time to act out and work out problem solutions. Third, encourage students to reflect on the

reasonableness of their answers. Fourth, accept alternative solutions.

The teacher’s opinion of word problems and their usefulness in teaching mathematics

played a huge role in the success of the students. Many teachers felt that math word problems

were much more difficult to solve than a regular equation-type math problem .

As a teacher, in my past instruction, I used word problems as extra credit or challenge

problems, and I did not use such problems to their fullest potential. I now use word problems in

all stages of teaching, reinforcing, and testing a new skill. My students are coming up with their

own word problems to help one another study for quizzes or exams.

Many times the kids would choose not to even try

them or they would just jot some answer down. What was even worse was they did not even

make the connection that they are to use the skill previously learned as an equation to solve the

word problems.

Connecting the Word Problems to Real World Situations

Connecting a child’s classroom learning to real-life situations is a great teaching strategy

but it is especially helpful in the teaching of math skills and word problems. If teachers can

connect a math word problem to something that the student uses in their lives then it takes on a

whole new importance to the students. Of the nine articles that I read on word problems, six of

them mentioned that making this real-life connection was vital to the children understanding the

math concept as well as being able to perform the skill.

Student Solutions

Students should be able to represent their solutions in a number of ways to help them

express their understanding of a skill or concept. I stressed to my students that I wanted to see

the method that they used to solve a problem so that if there was an error I could help them.

Better yet I wanted to see their solution, so that the other students, or I, could see another way of

looking at a problem. Throughout my research, I came across this idea many times.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of my study was to determine what happened when a systematic way of

solving word problems and using formative assessment to assist in the student understanding of

the math skills used in the word problems was implemented. The controlled variables in my

project were the word problems that I provided for my students as part of their homework. I also

provided the word problems that were used in their journals. My measured variables in this

project were the pre- and post-test results and the pre- and post-survey results.

The questions guiding this research are:

• What will happen to the students’ abilities to successfully solve word problems when the

students are taught the language of word problems and how to interpret it?

• What will happen to the students’ understanding of word problems when the students are taught math vocabulary and ways to express what these words mean? (such as pictures, graphs, charts, tables, number sentences and equations)

• What will happen to the way that I teach word problems after I observe the way that my students explain the word problem-solving process in their journals?

Methods

I conducted a test to identify the difficulties of students in solving word problems.

I also collected data from personal interview.

Findings

The first research question I investigated was: What will happen to the students’ abilities

to successfully solve word problems when the students are taught the language of word problems

and how to interpret it? My students were able to solve more word problems correctly after they

had been taught the appropriate vocabulary. To start out my project, I had interviewed and

surveyed my students.

Implications

I was so pleased with the outcome of my project and the tremendous growth that I

witnessed in my students that I will be using journals in all of my classes next year. I have

decided that on the first day of a lesson, I will spend a great deal of time teaching the concept

and watching my students practice it. Then, I will give them one problem to solve in their journal

and explain each step. This will allow me the opportunity to check for any misconceptions they

may have. I think that this will be easier to correct than if I allow them to go home and do 20

problems the wrong way and then try to undo it the next day. It was wonderful to have the

students explain their work to me and their steps. It is so empowering to me as a teacher. It will

take more time because of all of the reading but in the long run the amount of time taken to re teach a skill should be reduced. I also will be developing a series of word problems to cover all

of the sixth and seventh grade standards that deal with topics that the students are interested in. I

hope that this will help to change their opinions of word problems and help them to see a true

practical use for the math that they are learning in class.

Conclusion

In the research that I read, I was very excited to see that there seemed to be a common

thread. The fact that teachers needed to change the way in which they taught and presented math

word problems made me analyze the way in which I taught. I had been guilty of using word

problems as challenge assignments or making them extra credit. Now I look at word problems as

a wonderful way to teach each math skill my students and I are responsible for. I have always

been a teacher who would accept more than one way to do something; so, when I read this over and over again in the literature, it just reinforced this aspect of my teaching philosophy. I have

not always been very good about connecting my students’ learning to their real world or to their

interests. This is an aspect of my teaching that I am currently working on to improve so that my

students can claim more ownership to their learning. Not all of the articles that I read had this as

a main point, but it was brought up enough that I felt that it was important to my research. I

currently do pre and post-testing as I mentioned earlier so this was another aspect of my teaching

that has been reinforced by the research that I have done.

My project is different from the research that I have read about because it concentrates on

VIII standard math students only.