The Effect of a Comprehension Strategy Intervention of Mathematical Word Problems on the Academic Performance of 5th Graders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a comprehension strategy intervention on the mathematical word problem performance of fifth grade students in the area of comprehension development. A pretest/posttest, quasi-experimental design was selected for this study. The class selected to participate scored the lowest out of the two math classes the researcher taught on the Maryland School Assessment for 2009-2010 in Reading and Math. All were performing below and almost below grade level in reading and mathematics. An additional math class also taught by the researcher served as the control group. Comprehension strategies for mathematical word problem solving were taught three days a week for 30-minute intervals from March 2011 to the first week of May 2011. Analysis of the data suggested the current study does not clearly support the implementation of the comprehension intervention; however, there were considerable differences between the pre- and posttest scores of the treatment group. Based on the results of this study, further research should be conducted at different grade levels and for a longer period of time to examine whether the use of a comprehension intervention involving mathematical word problems improves reading comprehension of mathematical word problems.