Procedural flexibility on fraction arithmetic and word problems predicts middle-schoolers’ differential algebra skills.

Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol 116(2), Feb 2024, 195-211; doi:10.1037/edu0000822Procedural flexibility is an important skill for algebra. Although prior work has focused on measuring students’ procedural flexibility using arithmetic problems, word problems may also capture students’ flexibility because of their open-ended nature. To date, no published study has examined the use of word problems as another measure of procedural flexibility. The present study aims to establish flexibility on fraction word problems as a predictor of algebra learning and to determine whether flexibility demonstrated on fraction arithmetic versus fraction word problems differentially predicts two types of algebra learning (e.g., algebraic feature knowledge and algebra equation-solving). Middle-school students (N = 350) completed fraction arithmetic problems, fraction word problems, and algebra measures at the start and end of the school year. We coded fraction arithmetic and word problems for demonstrated procedural flexibility. Path models showed that overall flexibility significantly predicted both algebraic feature knowledge and equation-solving. When examining flexibility by type, procedural flexibility on arithmetic problems significantly predicted end-of-year algebraic feature knowledge and algebra equation-solving, whereas procedural flexibility on word problems significantly predicted algebraic feature knowledge. Procedural flexibility on arithmetic problems was still predictiv...
Source: Journal of Educational Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research