Unrealistic responses to realistic problems with missing information: what are important barriers?

AbstractIt is a well-documented finding that students tend to neglect their real-world knowledge when solving word problems, even when realistic assumptions are needed. Although studies have successfully shown the extent to which students tend to provide unrealistic responses, the question of where this tendency comes from has yet to be answered. We focused on two major steps needed to solve realistic word problems: noticing missing information and making realistic assumptions. We conducted two studies with fifth graders (Study 1, N = 108; Study 2, N = 60) in which we compared students’ (un-)realistic responses to problems that differed in how obvious the missing information was. Study 1 fostered only students’ ability to make assumptions. Study 2 fostered this ability plus the ability to notice missing information. The results indicate that, if the missing information is not obvious, students’ failure to notice it seems to be what prevents them from arriving at a realistic solution.