چکیده (انگلیسی):

Students taking developmental mathematics courses resist attempting word problems when they
are presented to them. Although word problems can help students contextualize learning, develop
better understanding of the concepts and apply world knowledge, they constitute an impediment to
students’ progress in developmental mathematics courses. A two-semester study on the first
developmental mathematics course at LaGuardia Community College shows that students perform
better at word problems when they have been discussed in groups with their peers prior to the
homework. Moreover, when assigned word problems without a class discussion, students perform
better when these problems are individualized based on their areas of interest.