Strategic Developmental Levels in Multiplication: Patterns of Students’ Strategy Choices

• In Event: Mathematical Cognition: Strategies, Working Memory, and Representations

Abstract

This study examined the strategic developmental levels of multiplication problem solving among 121 elementary school students. A latent class modeling was used to identify three valid groups representing different patterns of strategy choices. Results suggested a relative consistency in students’ strategy choices cross three problem types. Students who used direct retrieval or algorithm strategies most frequently showed the highest problem-solving accuracy and the highest accuracy of executing the direct retrieval strategies. Students who most frequently relied on incorrect operations demonstrated the lowest problem-solving accuracy among the three groups; the number of students in this group increased with problem difficulty levels. Implications are discussed regarding identifying students’ strategic developmental levels and providing differentiated instruction based on the identified levels.

Authors

• Dake Zhang, Rutgers University

• Yi Ding, Fordham University

• Soo Youn Lee, Rutgers University