Overcoming Obstacles to Understanding and Solving Word Problems in Mathematics

ABSTRACT The trouble students have with solving word problems often comes from the difficulty in understanding the problem structure embedded in the problem text. This research was conducted to study the interactive effects of learner and instructional variables on understanding and solving word problems among Filipino‐English bilingual grade school students in the Philippines. The results showed better understanding and solution performance (1) when problems were written in the students’ first language, (2) when the problems were re‐worded to state more explicitly the relationship among the known and unknown quantities, (3) for students in higher levels of schooling and (4) for students with higher levels of academic achievement. The effects of re‐wording were mediated by the effects of the language; and the effects of language also varied between the highand low‐achievement students. In most cases where the students’ performance improved, the improvement seems to be due to better comprehension of the text (or fewer basic comprehension errors); except with the improvement due to re‐wording, which seems to be due to fewer misinterpretation errors. The results of the study provide further support for earlier findings, but also extend and modify the theoretical ramifications of the earlier findings and point to some important implications for educational practice.     

Hugo de Vries on heredity, 1889-1903. Statistics, Mendelian laws, pangenes, mutations.

The essay describes the development of Hugo de Vries's thinking on heredity from the publication of his Intracellulare Pangenesis in 1889 to the publication of Die Mutations-theorie, Volume 2, in 1903. De Vries's work in the 1890s can be characterized as an attempt to defend his theory of pangenes, especially the fundamental and controversial idea that different characters have different material hereditary carriers. Hybridization experiments served his goal. Recently discovered research notes on hybridization from 1896 suggest that, though he was unaware of Mendel's work, De Vries used the laws of dominance and recessiveness, segregation, and independent assortment to explain the 75:25 ratio in the second generation. He had discovered these laws by applying insights from probability theory to his research. In Die Mutationstheorie De Vries combined central concepts of intracellular pangenesis and his mutation theory by modifying the meanings of important terms and introducing new states of pangenes. In his attempts to describe Mendelian crossings in terms of pangenes and mutations, he became entangled in a number of contradictions. Some of his remarks suggest that he was aware that the Mendelian laws and his own theories of pangenes and mutations could not be made consistent.     

An intern's experience: Only the name school psychologist remains the same

Describes an intern's experience in a diversified field training program for school psychologists and how the role and function of the school psychologist in each setting changes. Also discusses the benefits of the “extended diversified” model training program as seen by 15 second-year students in such a program.     

Patterns of perceptual deficits in academically deficient juvenile delinquents

Patterns of perceptual deficits were investigated in a population of academically deficient juvenile delinquents. Comparisons were made with a group of youthful offenders with adequate academic skills. Auditory perceptual deficits appeared to be a more significant factor in accounting for the severe academic deficiencies observed in the delinquent subjects than did visual-perceptual deficits. However, multiple perceptual deficits involving both auditory and visual perceptual skills formed the basis of the majority of academic deficiencies and social maladaptation. The results indicate the potential ill effects of an undiagnosed and untreated learning disability on subsequent emotional development. Prevention of delinquency may begin with the preschool child who is at high-risk for developing behavioral problems in later years.     

A correlational analysis between the PPVT-R and Woodcock-Johnson achievement cluster scores for nonreferred regular education and learning disabled students

Both forms of the PPVT-R, along with the reading, mathematics, and written-language subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Test Battery were administered concurrently and in counterbalanced order to 28 nonreferred regular education and learning disabled students. With the exception of correlations between form M and the reading and written-language subtests for the LD group, values did not reach significance. Alternate form reliability coefficients for the RE and LD groups were .70 and .65, respectively. Mean standard scores for forms L and M were comparable for the RE group, but form L yielded a significantly higher score than M for the LD population.     

The influence of diagnostic labeling on special education placement decisions

The present study investigated the possible bias of diagnostic labeling on special education placement decisions. Two groups of child study team members were given the task of either placing or both labeling and placing ten exceptional children. Results showed that the labeling process did not lead diagnosticians to place children in more restrictive educational programs. A comprehensive assessment-intervention-follow-through model that would minimize some of the potential dangers and abuses of labeling is proposed.