Walkington Examines Impact of Readability Factors in Solving Mathematics Word Problems

In the latest American Education Research Journal, Assistant Professor Candace Walkington and two co-authors use 20 years of data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study to look at readability factors in mathematics word problems.

Walkington and colleagues analyze length, word difficulty, and pronouns. They also interact with student background characteristics—such as race/ethnicity, mathematics achievement, and socioeconomic status. Textual features that make problems more difficult to process appear to differentially negatively impact struggling students, while features that make language easier to process appear to differentially positively impact struggling students.

 

Hernandez Recognized with Exceptional Board Service Award By Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership

Simmons Associate Dean Frank Hernandez was honored by the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership (JCEL) with its Recognition of Exceptional Editorial Board Service 2014-2017 Award.

He is the first recipient of the award, which was presented November 19 at the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) Conference in Denver. Hernandez holds the Annette and Harold Simmons Centennial Chair in Education Policy and Leadership at SMU.