Philippine E-Journals

Mathematics Word Problem Solving Capabilities of Engineering at-risk Students

Andres R. De La Cueva | Emelinda R. Licarte | Merlita C. Medallon

Discipline: Engineering, Applied Sciences

 

Abstract:

The scenario involving problem solving in Mathematics is a thing that students would not want to encounter but they have no choice to take the course as a prerequisite to higher Mathematical courses required in the program. The study aims to determine what factors contribute to students having low capabilities in Mathematics word problem solving. The 37 identified at-risk students enrolled during Summer of 2011 were the respondents of the study. The students were asked to answer a researcher made questionnaire consisting of 90 item statements divided into the different factor areas of personal, cognitive, and social. The highest contributing factor is the problem solving attitude and the study strategies. On the cognitive factors, comprehension contributes the highest in the problem solving capabilities of the respondents.

Interaction both with peers and with the teacher are both contributing factors to the capability to solve word problems. There is significant effect of conceptual skills (p=.043) and computational skills (p=.049) on problem solving attitude. Comprehension (p=.009) and the conceptual skills (p=.006) has significant effect on the study strategies. The teacher interaction significantly affects the problem solving attitude of the respondent students (p=.013) contributing 41% and the study strategies of the respondent students (p=.000) contributing 57%. There is a significant contribution of both the problem solving attitude (p=.005) and the study strategies (p=.000) on the cognitive factors contributing 83% of the variation. There is a significant contribution of the study strategies (p=.008) on the social factors contributing 57% of the variation.