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What Makes Word Problem-Solving Difficult? Factors Influencing Word Problem-Solving Ability

enable students to automate the solving process, whereas non-routine prob-
lems encourage them to reason and find a solution by trying to understand
the problem situation (e.g. problems with irrelevant information, with miss-
ing data, or with multiple solutions). For instance, practitioners could con-
sider presenting problems such as the following: ‘The teacher asks Paul to
count the students in the first class and Rolando to count the students in
second class. Paul takes 3 minutes to complete his task while Rolando takes 5
minutes. Are there more students in the first or second class?’ Children, refer-
ring to the numbers in the text, may think that there are more students in the
second class because Rolando took longer to count them. However, real-life
knowledge suggests that it is not possible to reach a solution based on the
information provided in the task: Rolando may have taken longer because he
is slower at counting. Similarly, it is useful to present students with problems
that may have more than one solution or even infinite solutions. An example
of this type is: ‘Max and Fiona are siblings, and there is a 5-year age difference
between them. How old are Max and Fiona?’ This word problem admits infi-
nite solutions given by the ordered pairs (n, n +5), wherenis thenumberof
years of one of the two siblings.

Conclusion
The ability to solve word problems is one of the most complex and challeng-
ing mathematical skills to acquire. Difficulties in this maths domain are multi-
faceted and influenced by various factors including task characteristics, indi-
vidual differences, and environmental factors. In moving forward, educators
should critically evaluate instructional practices and embrace pedagogical
approaches that prioritize deep understanding, critical thinking, and creative
reasoning in word problem-solving. Furthermore, integrating real-life con-
texts and interdisciplinary connections into problem-solving activities can
deepen students’ engagement and promote the transfer of mathematical
skills to practical situations.

References
Baddeley, A. D., and G. Hitch. 1974. ‘Working Memory.’ In Psychology of Learning
and Motivation: Advances in Research and Theory, edited by G. A. Bower,
47–89. Vol. 8. New York: Academic Press.
Barbu, O. C., and C. R. Beal. 2010. ‘Effects of Linguistic Complexity and Math Dif-
ficulty on Word Problem Solving by English Learners.’ InternationalJournal
of Education 2 (2). https://doi.org/10.5296/ije.v2i2.508.
Boonen, A. J., and J. Jolles. 2015. ‘Second Grade Elementary School Students’
Differing Performance on Combine, Change and Compare Word Prob-

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