A Randomized Experiment of a Schema-Based Instructional Approach to Proportional Problem Solving for Seventh-Grade Students

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: Posters in Mathematics Teaching and Learning

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a mathematical problem solving intervention on seventh-grade students’ proportional problem solving performance. Seventh-grade math teachers and their students (N = 1,999) from 82 classrooms were randomly assigned to either a treatment (i.e., schema-based instruction [SBI]) or control condition. Teachers in both conditions provided daily instruction on ratio, proportion, and percent topics for approximately six weeks. Preliminary results indicated significant differences favoring the SBI condition in proportional problem solving on an immediate posttest (g = 1.07) and on a retention test (g = 0.88). No differences were found on a test of transfer to the broader domain of mathematical problem solving. Implications for educational practice and future research are discussed.

Authors

• Asha K. Jitendra, University of Minnesota

• Michael R. Harwell, University of Minnesota

• Danielle Nicole Dupuis, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Stacy R. Karl, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Amy Lein, University of Minnesota

• Susan Slater, University of Minnesota

• Gregory Simonson, University of Minnesota

• Michael Herriges, University of Minnesota