The effects of integrated social and cognitive strategy instruction on the mathematics achievement in secondary education

Abstract

This article reports on an intervention study into the general and differential effects of an experimental mathematics program on student achievement in secondary education. The following research question was addressed: in co-operative groups in secondary mathematics, what are the general and differential effects of training in the use of social and cognitive strategies on both mathematical reasoning ability and domain-specific knowledge? In the experimental program students were trained in (a) how to solve mathematical problems in real-life situations by using (meta-) cognitive strategies i.e. modelling reality, making different representations, planning, monitoring and checking, and (b) to co-operate in order to facilitate each other's learning by giving more elaborated help and promoting equal participation. Students in the control group did not receive any training but were merely told to help each other. Students in the experimental program gained more than the students in the control program on two of the three tests. Low achieving students benefit from strategy instruction as long as the instruction is not too complex.