Understanding Secondary Students’ Ability to Solve Real-Life Mathematical Word Problems

Abstract

This research proposed the predictive value of reading comprehension and knowledge retention in mathematics on Grade 10 students solving mathematical word problems in District Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A causal-comparative (ex post facto) quantitative research design was used where the study did not manipulate variables and tested relationships between the existing variables. The sample size was 28,885 secondary-level students, a representative sample of 355 Grade 10 students was chosen by non-proportionate cluster sampling. The data were gathered using three sets of researcher-designed and validated measures; a Reading Comprehension Test, a Mathematical Knowledge Retention Test, and a Mathematical Word Problem Solving Test. Frequency distributions percentages were done using SPSS in descriptive analysis. The results have shown that most students had difficulties with solving word problems: most of them either have given a wrong answer or have been able to extract information with no application of relevant formulas, with a smaller percentage having been able to solve the problems entirely. Not entering the range of low performance was explained by weaknesses in reading comprehension and remembering mathematical knowledge, which demonstrated the interrelation between these abilities in solving the problem. The findings highlight the importance of instructional plans, which combine reading and mathematical abilities, use a variety of teaching approaches to meet the needs of various learning styles, and give stepwise instructions with positive feedback. These results offer practical lessons that teachers can use to develop the problem solving skills of the secondary students of mathematics.