Organisational Structure for Mathematical Modelling

Abstract

The effects of reading comprehension on the mathematical-modelling problem-solving process is yet unresolved. This paper reports on a study conducted with two classes of year four students. It investigated the extent to which a literary organisational structuring strategy: top-level structure, may change students' engagement in mathematical modelling. Mathematical-modelling problems require students to negotiate various texts as they negotiate the problem-solving process to learn mathematical skills. The strategy of top-level structuring aids students to structurally organise textual information, and to elicit and recall the main idea of texts. This research illustrated that top-level structuring can make a difference to young students’ mathematical-modelling outcomes to some degree. Further in-depth research on the issues raised here is warranted.