Action Research Proposal: Mathematics
Problem-Solving Skill And Reading Comprehension
Mathematics
problem-solving and reading comprehension go hand-in-hand
Source:
www.freedigitalphotos.net/David Castillo
It cannot be denied
that problem solving is an important part of Mathematics education.
Mathematics, in general, is an important subject because of its practical role
to a person and the society as a whole. However, before a student can
successfully solve a problem, he has to posses good reading comprehension,
analytic and computational skills.
_________________________________________________________________
I. Situation
Problem solving in
Mathematics and reading comprehension go hand in hand. Solving Math problems
entails or requires the students to do or apply two skills at the same time-
reading and computing. It is a two-edged sword which the student should
conquer, so to speak.
As a teacher of
Mathematics in Grade 6 for five years in the public school, I have encountered
many pupils who are poor both in comprehending and analyzing Mathematics word
problems. Specifically in SY 2010-2011 Grade 6 class, only 11 out of 60 pupils
can successfully solve problems in Math without or with just little help from
the teacher. The rest need to be guided to understand the problem. Approximately
82% find it hard to picture the situation indicated by the problem they are
trying to solve. The slow ones would even ask the meaning of a certain word in
the problem. When they have understood it, it is only then that they fully
grasp the event/situation pictured in the problem. However, there are still
some who cannot understand it, probably because they can’t connect or relate
the ideas explained in the problem. When it is time to analyze or break down
the problem, only the 11 pupils mentioned earlier can actively participate.
During group
activities, the leaders would most often report that their members have to be
monitored closely so that they would be able to correctly analyze the problem.
Based on their report, roughly 3 out of 7 members actively contribute in their
output.
That is why, during
formative tests, only11 can get a perfect score. Majority of the class get 0-3
correct answers out of 5 given problems. Since the beginning of the school
year, I have noticed that roughly 85%of the class has poor reading
comprehension skills. The Grade 5 teacher warned me beforehand that this class
is the slowest batch he has handled; particularly in reading comprehension.
Many of the pupils in the class have poor vocabulary skills. True enough, I
experience the same thing now. It seems that the present batch of pupils is
worse than the previous one. Translating this into analyzing the problems in
Mathematics, there is a grim prospect that they would find it hard to
understand Math problems and thus affect their performance in the said
area,notwithstanding their numerical skills. In straight computations like
plain addition, multiplication, subtraction and division, they can solve them
successfully with very little help. But when these are written in the verbal
context-not in the numerical context- they are already at a loss, so to speak.
Obviously, the bane of these pupils is the understanding of the contents of the
math problems correctly and connecting the ideas expressed in it to fully grasp
and find a way to successfully solve the problem.
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II. The Problem
The problem is the
failure of the Grade VI pupils of Zapote Elementary School, SY 2011-2012, to
correctly analyze word problems in Mathematics due to poor reading
comprehension abilities.
Possible
Causes:
1. Limited vocabulary
words in Mathematics
2. Lack of technique
in solving word problems
_________________________________________________________________
III. Generation of Alternative Solution
This action research
offers alternative solution to the following:
1. Limited Mathematics
vocabulary
a. Provide unlocking
of difficulties through vocabulary development before the beginning of the Math
class
b. Establish a
tutor-tutee relationship wherein a good pupil tutors or teaches a slow
classmate assigned to him in areas of reading comprehension and problem-solving
c. Provide interesting
and challenging vocabulary activities involving Mathematics vocabulary such as
in contests and games
2. Lack of technique
in solving word problems
a. Organize the given
information found in the problem
b. Use object
representation and manipulatives to picture clearly the given Math problem
c. Substitute large
numbers by simpler numbers or restate the problem in much simpler terms through
improved reading comprehension
d. Make a number
sentence out of the word problem
e. Use the “trial and
error” method or the “guess and check”
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IV. Plan of Action
a. Objectives
1. Improve the pupils’
limited vocabulary wordsin Mathematics and enhance reading comprehension
ability of the students
2. Develop the pupils’
techniques in solving word problems
b. Time
Frame
This study will be
conducted for one quarter, from July to September of SY 2011-2012
c. Target
Subjects
The target subjects
for this study are the Grade VI pupils of Zapote Elementary School during the
academic year 2011-2012.
d. Activities to
be Undertaken
|
Target
Date
|
Persons
Involved
|
Activities
|
Expected
Results
|
|
July 12, 2011
|
School Head
|
A. Inform the school head about
the action research to be undertaken
|
Granted permission to conduct the
research
|
|
July 15, 2011
|
Grade VI pupils Co-teachers
|
B. Orientation of the pupils and
co-teachers regarding the action research
|
100% of the pupils and co-teachers
will be aware of the on-going research
|
|
|
|
C.
Improve the pupils'limited vocabulary words in Mathematics
|
|
|
July 16, 2011
|
Grade VI pupils
|
1. Survey the Mathematics
vocabulary skill of the pupils.
|
100% of the pupils will be
surveyed
|
|
July 18 to September 9, 2011
|
Grade VI pupils
|
2. Provide unlocking of
difficulties through vocabulary development before the beginning of the Math
class.
|
100% of the class will develop and
enhance their Math vocabulary skill
|
|
July 21, 2011
|
Grade VI pupils, Teacher
|
3. Establish a tutor-tutee
relationship in reading comprehension and problem-solving wherein a good
pupil tutors a slow classmate assigned to him
|
100% of the slow pupils will learn
from their tutor-classmates
|
|
July 18, 2011 until the end of the
school year
|
Grade VI pupils , Teacher
|
4. Provide interesting and
challenging vocabulary activities involving Math vocabulary such as in
contestsand game.
|
100% of the pupils will
participate more actively in discussions and activities
|
|
|
|
D.
Develop the pupils' techniques in solving word problems
|
|
|
July 25 to August 5, 2011
|
Grade VI pupils, Teacher
|
1. Draw a graph, chart, graphic
organizer or list to help the students organize their information found in
the word problem.
|
100% of the pupils will be able to
organize the given data and connect the ideas expressed in the problem
|
|
August 8-19, 2011
|
Grade VI pupils, Teacher
|
2. Ask the students to make
representation of objects so they will be able to visualize the problem
clearly. They can use ruler, play money, realia, blocks, dice, etc.
|
100% of the pupils can manipulate
and be aided by these materials in solving word problems
|
|
August 22 to September 2, 2011
|
Grade VI pupils, Teacher
|
3. Substitute large numbers by
simpler numbers and use them instead of what are given in the problem,
Problems can also be restated in much simpler terms.
|
100% of the pupils will be able to
simplify the problem and substitute simpler numbers for the given numbers
|
|
September 5-16, 2011
|
Grade VI pupils, Teacher
|
4. From the given problem, make a
number sentence by substituting the English sentences into Mathematics
sentences. Another technique is to translate the problem into a dialect most
understood by the students.
|
100% of the pupils will be able to
master writing the number sentence
|
|
September 19-23, 2011
|
Grade VI pupils, Teacher
|
5. Solve by "trial and
error" or "guess and check" by using the answers provided in
multiple choice problems.
|
100% of the pupils will be able to
apply the guess and check technique
|
V.
Evaluation Criteria
The result of this
research shall be reported after 100% of the Grade VI pupils have improved
their Mathematics problem-solving skills.
______________________________________________________________
VI.Research
Design
This action research is purely descriptive in
nature which uses pre-test/post-test results and survey results to address the
pupils’ problem.
|
Activities
|
Data
To Be Collected
|
Statistical
Treatment
|
|
1. Conduct a pre-survey of the
previous Math vocabulary and reading comprehension of students
|
Pre-survey result
|
Average
|
|
2. Administer the pre-test
|
Result of the pre-test
|
Percentage
|
|
3. Conduct daily test on Math
vocabulary
|
Result of the daily test
|
Percentage
|
|
4. Conduct weekly test on
problem-solving
|
Weekly test result
|
Percentage
|
|
5. Conduct a post-survey of the
Mathematics vocabulary of the pupils
|
Post-survey result
|
Average
|
|
6. Administer the post-test
|
Result of the post-test
|
Percentage
|
