An Evaluation of Interventions to Facilitate Algebra Problem Solving |
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Authors: | Kristin H Mayfield Irene M Glenn |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA;(2) The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA;(3) Present address: 2715 NW 52nd Ave., Gainesville, FL 32605, USA |
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Abstract: | Three participants were trained on 6 target algebra skills and subsequently received a series of 5 instructional interventions
(cumulative practice, tiered feedback, feedback plus solution sequence instruction, review practice, and transfer training)
in a multiple baseline across skills design. The effects of the interventions on the performance of 5 problem-solving tasks
that required novel combinations of 2 or more of the target skills were evaluated. Results showed that cumulative practice
of the skills and a combination of feedback with solution sequence instruction led to limited performance increases on some
of the problem-solving tasks, with one task meeting the mastery criterion following the solution sequence intervention. The
introduction of the transfer training resulted in more consistent improvements across tasks such that participants achieved
the performance criterion on all remaining problem-solving tasks during a final baseline condition. The findings suggest that
a structured intervention designed to transfer stimulus control from previously established discriminative stimuli to more
complex, novel stimuli can facilitate problem solving without extensive direct instruction on the higher-level skills.
This research was funded in part by a contract with the Florida Department of Children and Families. The content and opinions
expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Department of Children and Families. We thank Tim
Vollmer for suggestions made throughout this study and for helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. We also thank
Linda Meckler for her assistance with data collection.
Kristin H. Mayfield, now at iLearn, Inc., Marietta, GA, USA. |
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Keywords: | Algebra Mathematics Novel behavior Problem solving Transfer |
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