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Primary pupils' ability to engage in sense making when solving word problems
Author
Heng, Jason Cheng Han
Supervisor
Yeap, Ban Har
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether pupils’ suspension of sense making was related to gender, achievement and task familiarity. Pupils were identified as engaging in sense making when they were able to consider contextual factors of word problems when solving them. The research used a Word Problem Test as the instrument. The test comprised familiar and unfamiliar tasks which might or might not require sense making when pupils were solving them. The data collected in the study were analyzed by comparing percentages and using ANOVA tests. 102 pupils from a local neighbourhood school were chosen for this study. The sample was taken from a larger sample of a longitudinal study which involved five schools from different geographical regions of Singapore. The findings showed the ability to engage in sense making was not gender related. Both the males and females had the tendency to solve familiar tasks better than unfamiliar tasks. Findings also showed that the high achievers had the tendency to consider the context of familiar non-standard problems. However, no particular group of achievers determined the ability to engage in sense making more when solving unfamiliar non-standard problems. Lastly, pupils had the tendency of making more sense in familiar non- standard tasks than unfamiliar non-standard tasks.
Date Issued
2007
Call Number
QA63 Hen
Date Submitted
2007