The relationship between reading comprehension skills and standart word problems and real world problems

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between fifth grade students? reading comprehension skill and success in solving word problems. This study was conducted at two primary schools in the center of Konya during the fall semester of 2009-2010 academic year. Participants were 230 fifth grade students.Reading Comprehension Test and Problem Solving Test were used to collect data for the investigation. Firstly, Reading Comprehension Test consisting of 20 multiple choice questions which is developed by Belet (2005), administered to the participants. Secondly participants were administered Word Problem Test including 14 word problems. and were also asked to write how they solved each problem. The problem solving test included 7 standart word problems and 7 real world problems. The real world problems were selected from the study of Vershaffel, de Corte and Borghart (1997).At the evaluation of the Reading Comprehension Test each right answer was scored as 1 point and each wrong answer was scored as 0 point. For the Problem Solving Test, answers given to real world problems were categorized into two groups: realistic answers and non-realistic answers. Each realistic answer was scored 1 point and each non-realistic answer was scored 0 point. During the data analysis, the relationship between Problem Solving Test scores and Reading Comprehension Test scores was investigated. In addition, the relationship between Reading Comprehension Test and Standart Word Problems scores and the relationship between Reading Comprehension Test and Real World Problems scores were investigated separately.Result of the study indicated that students? reading comprehension skills have a significant effect on their success in their ability to solve standart word problems but its effect on their success in solving real world problems is not so explicit. Besides, the results showed that students have difficulties about the interpretations of real world problems and try to solve them like standart word problems. Most of the students try to find a solution without regarding the real life situations embedded in the problem.Results of the study indicated that 29% of standart word problem solving success is derived from reading comprehension and this ratio is 5% for the real world problems.