Relations between reading comprehension and mathematical word problems of varying complexities : A cross-sectional study of the Norwegian national tests aiming to identify relations between reading comprehension and word problems, and if task properties affect student sub-groups differently

Abstract

This thesis aims to investigate the relationships between reading comprehension and mathematical word problems of varying complexity. There exist numerous studies on this relationship(Abedi & Lord, 2001; Bergqvist et al., 2018; Cummins et al., 1988; Greer, 1997; Maagerø & Skjelbred, 2010; Martiniello, 2008; G. Nortvedt, 2009; Verschaffel et al., 2000; Vilenius‐Tuohimaa et al., 2008), with differences in both thematic and research design levels. Most use a quantitative approach to their research question, while some complements with students’ perspectives, thoughts, and solution processes. My study is a quantitative, cross-sectional study examining reading comprehension and word problems through the context of the Norwegian national tests, with 5854 anonymous participants from eighth grade, all across Norway. I approach my research question through multiple analyses; a correlation analysis between reading comprehension and numeracy tasks, and logistic regression analyses for selected numeracy tasks with reading comprehension as a predictor. In the correlation analysis, I also investigate the sub-question of whether task properties affect student sub-groups differently, based on their reading comprehension level. This was done be categorizing the participants, and subsequently performing new correlation analyses between reading comprehension and all numeracy tasks for each sub-group. The results are then discussed in the light of the framework of cognitive demands of mathematical tasks (Stein & Smith, 1998).