The Experimental Study Of The Effects Of The Task Features Of Algebra Story Problems

In recent years, many psychological study of mathematical ability have focused on performance of the story problems. Some experts focus on the analysis of ability with cognitive approach to items. Other studies mainly analyzed the task features of items how to influent the,performance of the story problems. This experiment study selected some task features to proof that impact difficulties of the story problems.This study selected four item task features:problem representation (story problems, equation), unknown position (the single-reference, the double-reference), problem category (age, simple rate, work rate change, work together, motion meet, motion overtake, geometry, wet mixture), number type (integer, decimal). Base on four representations to change the items for experiment.The study result indicated:(1) Koeodinger&Nathan demonstrated that on the simpler single-reference problems, students performed better with the story problems than with equation. In contrast, on the more complex double-reference problems, students performed better with the equation than with the story problems.This conclusions can not be extended to all the problem catogory(2) In the age problem, simple rate problem, work rate change problem, motion meet problem, geometry problem, wet mixture problem, the double-reference problems are more harder than the single-reference problems. Towards the single-reference problems, equations are more easier than the story problems in wet mixture problem.(3) Towards the single-reference problems, story problem with integer are more easier than equation with integer, and equation with decimal are more easier than story problem with decimal. Especially in the story problem, integer problem are easier than decimal problem.