The Effectiveness of Modified Conceptual Model-Based Problem-Solving in Teaching Word Problem-Solving Skills to Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

Introduction: Word problem-solving skills require the correct and appropriate use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies. Individuals with specific learning disabilities (SLD) use these strategies less than their peers and experience significant difficulties employing the strategies they have in appropriate contexts and choosing the right strategy. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to determine the effect of Modified Conceptual Model-Based Problem-Solving (COMPS) on the word problem-solving skills of students with specific learning disabilities. Method: The study used the multiple probe design with probe trials across subjects, one of the single-subject research methods. Three students aged 10-11 years who were diagnosed with learning disabilities and studying in the fourth and fifth grades constituted the study subjects. Findings: The findings showed that Modified COMPS was effective in improving the performance of students with learning disabilities in comparison word problems including one-step addition or subtraction and the subjects maintained their performance two, four, and six weeks after the instruction was completed and could generalize this performance and the strategies they employed to the real classroom environment. Furthermore, the students could generalize the strategy they learned to part-whole, separating, and joining word problems including one-step addition or subtraction. The data obtained from the think-aloud protocols demonstrated that the cognitive and metacognitive strategies the students used before the instruction increased and diversified significantly for all problem types after the instruction. According to the social validity findings, the students, their teachers, and parents expressed positive opinions about the study. Discussion: The findings of the current study, which taught different cognitive and metacognitive strategies to students with learning disabilities, support and generalize the findings of the research conducted with students with special needs in the literature.