AN INVESTIGATION OF 4TH GRADE STUDENTS’ ABILITIES OF SOLVING PROBLEMS GIVEN IN SYMBOLIC, NUMERICAL AND STORY FORMATS

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya

This research examines fourth grade students’ ability to solve mathematical problems that share the same solutions but are presented in three different formats: symbolic, numerical, and story (word) problems, requiring four operations. Using a case study descriptive design, data come from three problem-solving sessions per format and a semi-structured student interview with 64 students in Eskişehir. Results show greater difficulty with story format due to misunderstanding the narrative and transforming story text into mathematical language.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Purpose and educational context

Mathematics as a problem-solving tool

Story (word) problems in mathematics education

AN INVESTIGATION OF 4TH GRADE STUDENTS’ ABILITIES OF SOLVING PROBLEMS GIVEN IN SYMBOLIC, NUMERICAL AND STORY FORMATS Emre Ev CIMEN, Emine KARTAL Abstract: The purpose of this research is to examine fourth grade students’ ability to solve mathematical problems which have the same solutions but are given in three different formats as"symbolic, numerical and story (word) problem" and which require four operations. Within this frame, the students’ solutions in different formats, their correct / incorrect / mistaken answers, and the format type they had the most difficulty were examined. The research was conducted using the case study model of descriptive research methods. The research group consisted of 64 students who were attending at a public primary school in Eskişehir province. The data were obtained by using three problem solving sessions of each format applied to the students and a semi-structured interview performed afterwards with the students. In the research, it was found that the students had more difficulty in the story format problems than numerical and symbolic format problems since they made more errors in story problems. Regarding the reasons of the difficulty they had in story format, it was found that the students could not understand the problem if it was given in story format or they had difficulty in transforming the data in the story in text into mathematics language. Key words: Primary school education, Problem solving, Word / Story problem, Symbolic format, Numerical format. 1. Introduction When the national and international goals of education are examined, it is seen that the common goal is to provide individuals with a lot of knowledge, skills and values. When education systems and educational programs in particular are examined, mathematics education is undoubtedly an important area in which many skills are developed. Although it is accepted that mathematics has an important place in education systems; some people fear mathematics as a hard to achieve course, (Alakoç, 2003;Çakır, 2012), while for others mathematics is a way of life and a way of happiness (Boz, 2008) . The saying of “If I feel unhappy, I study math to be happy; If I feel happy, I study math to go on being happy” is also an indicator that mathematics truly gives happiness to some individuals (Rényi and Turán, 1970; Boz, 2008) . Mathematics is derived from the Ancient Greek story “matesis” which means “I know”. In the Ottoman period, the story “riyaziye” which was used for mathematics was derived from the story “riyazet” which meant “taming training for callow colts” (Sertöz, 2000) . Considering both meanings with Henri Poincaré’s saying: “A mathematician does not suppose but knows, does not try to convince because proves, does not expect your trust but maybe wants you to pay attention”; an individual develops the feelings of difficulty and self-confidence while learning mathematics. Moreover, in the Elementary School Mathematics Curriculum, it is stated that “all students can learn mathematics”, which points out that mathematics is necessary and learnable not only for a selected group but also for all students (Ministry of National Education in Turkey [MoNE], 2015) . When educational research and common views of educators are considered, it is believed that students can learn mathematics and succeed in mathematics course, albeit at different levels of speed (Baykul, 2003) . In this context, the Elementary School Mathematics Curriculum aims to provide students with the ability to communicate using the language, concepts, terms and numbers of mathematics, with emphasis on conceptual learning, fluency in operations, and the relationship between mathematical concepts. In addition, it emphasizes the ability to make mathematical modeling, choosing the appropriate strategies for reasoning and expressing the relationships between objects in mathematical terms and having problem solving skills (MoNE, 2017) . In daily life, mathe

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

To investigate fourth grade students’ ability to solve mathematical problems presented in symbolic, numerical, and story formats that require four operations.

How was the research conducted and what data were collected?

The study used a case study model. Data were collected through three problem-solving sessions for each format and followed by a semi-structured interview.

Which problem format caused the most difficulty for students and why?

Students had more difficulty with story format problems, making more errors because they could not understand the problem narrative or transform story information into mathematical language.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya