The Effect of Task Attributes on the Difficulty of Mathematical Modeling Problems Difficulty

• In Event: Understanding Student Knowledge and Task Difficulty in Mathematics

Abstract

With this study, we contribute to the research on factors that explain the difficulty of mathematical modeling tasks and try to identify the relevance of mathematical and contextual task attributes to such difficulty. For this study, we developed an assessment instrument (30 units, 90 tasks) that was guided by a theoretical framework for those task attributes that are potentially relevant to mathematical problem difficulty. The study was done with N = 535 students. Our results show that mathematical attributes are most predictive for explaining difficulty. However, contextual attributes also matter. Accordingly, both factors should be considered when developing mathematical modelling tasks in order to enable fair performance conditions for heterogeneous pupils.

Authors

• Dominik Leiss, Leuphana University - Lueneburg

• Timo Ehmke, Leuphana University - Lüneburg