The effect of teaching the cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies (self-instruction procedure) on verbal math problem-solving performance of primary school students with verbal problem- solving difficulties

This study investigates the effects of teaching the cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies (self-instruction procedure) on verbal math problem-solving (VMPS) performance of primary school students with VMPS difficulties. The experimental design using pre-test, post-test with control group is applied. The students were selected random ally of primary school and examined with VMPS test (pre-test). 60 of the students with VMPS difficulties are purpose fully matched in experimental and control groups (30 girls and 30 boys). During treatment experimental students received strategies instruction of16 weeks of 45min in 2 months during the school hours. The VMPS performances in each group are measured with post-test. The results of repeated measures analysis shows that teaching of cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies (self-instructional procedure) significantly improved performance of experimental group in both genders (F=44.86, P<0.0001). Also no signified differences between boys and girls in either applying the strategies or effectiveness of teaching (F=1.22, P>0.05)