ABSTRACT
Word problems should be helping children to problem solve and to apply their knowledge in different situations, including ‘real life’. Word problems do create difficulties for many children, particularly those with mathematics weaknesses. In their study of the characteristic behaviours of such children, P. Bryant et al.’s top three characteristics were: has difficulty with word problems, has difficulty with multi-step problems, has difficulty with the language of mathematics. The word problem sheet was constructed on the assumption that the subject has a full knowledge of the range of mathematics vocabulary used. It is a clinical decision as to whether or not these words should be explained as the subject attempts the questions. If the test is used with an individual, then careful observation and questioning will provide more information on how the questions are solved.
