Understanding Problem-Solving Errors by Students with Learning Disabilities in Standards-Based and Traditional Curricula.

Students with learning disabilities struggle with word problems in mathematics classes. Understanding the type of errors students make when working through such mathematical problems can further describe student performance and highlight student difficulties. Through the use of error codes, researchers analyzed the type of errors made by 14 sixth grade and 15 seventh grade students with language-based learning disabilities educated with either a standards-based or traditional mathematics curricula on word problems representing number and operations and algebra standards. Two main findings occurred: (a) the open-ended word problems were challenging to students with learning disabilities as demonstrated through the high rate of unanswered questions and incorrect answers, with the most frequently committed errors representing a lack of understanding of the mathematics; and (b) no relationship existed between curricula and correct or unanswered questions for sixth grade, but statistically significant relationships existed in the seventh grade, favoring the standards-based curriculum.