A COMPUTER LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR FRACTION WORD PROBLEMS BASED ON COGNITIVE-COMMUNICATIVE MODEL

Abstract

The focus of this research is on students’ difficulty in fraction word problem solving. Many students still face serious difficulties in learning concept of fractional numbers and their operations. By embedding fractions in word problems which portray students’ real-life applications, students’ skills in fractional numbers can be enhanced. Educators and researchers are still searching for ways to improve students’ performance in solving fraction word problems. Similarly, this research attempts to find different approaches in handling students’ difficulty in fraction word problem solving. Findings of both the literature review and the investigation conducted on fifty-seven Form One (7th Grade) at the preliminary stage of this research lead to the two proposed strategies to address students’ difficulty in fraction word problem solving. The strategies are 1) Encouraging the development of learners’ communication skills, and 2) Reducing cognitive loads of the learners. The Cognitive-Communicative (C-C) Model developed for this research incorporates these two requirements of learning. The C-C model is used as a basis in designing a computer-based learning environment for fraction word problems called MINDA. ‘Minda’ is a Malay word for ‘mind’ since MINDA represents the learner’s mind during word problem solving process. MINDA comprises of two main systems; Word Problem Lab (WPL) and the Fraction Learning Courseware (LEARN). MINDA incorporates the two approaches of using technology in education namely computer-as-tool and computer-as-tutor. The experimental study compared the achievement of the experimental group who were allowed to interact with MINDA and the control group in the pretest and posttest. The statistical methods used to test the hypotheses of this research were inclusive of the paired t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon Signed-rank test. Results showed that students in the experimental group performed better in fraction word problem solving than the control group for both the below-average and the above-average. Furthermore, the learning gain of the experimental group was observed to be higher than the control group for both the below-average and the above-average. Most importantly, students in the experimental group exhibit better word problem representation than those in the control group for both the below-average and the above-average groups of students.