BFP2: Task 1
A. Education Related Research Topic
The education research topic is problem-based learning for third graders solving math
word problems. The reason I chose this topic for my research is because I’ve taught third
grade math for the last two years and I noticed that students tend to struggle with solving
word problems and using the correct operations. Also, in my school district there is a very
large population of ELL, and I understand that solving word problems in a language that they
are still learning can be very difficult for them. Since students will be required to solve word
problems throughout their educational careers it is important that they learn the strategies and
language to be able to solve word problems effectively.
B. Original Data Collection Instrument
1. Participants
The participants for this research study are a group of 16 third-grade students in a title
one school system. There are 10 girls and 6 boys in the class. Out of the 16 students 5 of
them are ELL.
2. Purpose for the Data Collection Instrument
The purpose of the data collection instrument is to collect quantitative data on the
students ability to use manipulatives to help answer mathematical word problems.
