Solving abstract algebraic word problems with a Make a Problem More Specific strategy for high school Algebra 2 students

This study sought to increase student ability to complete abstract algebraic word problems through the Make a Problem More Specific Strategy. The study focused on assisting students in the Intervention class in creating abstract equations from abstract word problems by using a specific value instead of a variable to create an arithmetic equation. Then, the specific value chosen on the previous step is replaced with an abstract variable to yield a workable equation for the student to use in solving the word problem. The Comparison class was instructed to complete word problems by indentifying the model used in the word problem and then translating the important information to create an equation. It was expected that both the Intervention and Comparison classes would improve in their abilities to perform abstract algebraic word problems due to the amount of class time spent on word problems throughout the inquiry. The study was conducted in two high school Algebra 2 classes each with 20 students of grades 10–12 over a 20 day timeframe. Both classes showed statistically significant improvement from before and after the study on all word problems given on the pre- and post-study achievement test. The Make a Problem More Specific Strategy was shown to be as viable as the traditional translation option for instructors to use to teach abstract algebraic word problems to high school Algebra 2 students.