Using electronic mail communication and metacognitive instruction to improve mathematical problem solving

Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of e-mail communication between teachers and students embedded within metacognitive instruction on mathematical problem solving. Three learning environments are compared: (a) e-mail communication with metacognitive instruction (META+EMAIL); (b) e-mail communication without metacognitive instruction (EMAIL); and (c) face-to-face communication (CONT group). Participants were 119 fifth-grade students (boys and girls), who practiced six weeks of problem solving on authentic tasks in three classes. Students who were exposed to e-mail conversation and metacognitive instruction (EMAIL+META) outperformed students who were not exposed to metacognitive instruction (EMAIL and CONT) on problem solving. The effects were observed on various aspects of solving authentic tasks: (a) processing information; (b) using mathematical strategies; and (c) using mathematical communcation. The EMAIL students outperformed the CONT students only on one criterion: Using mathematical strategies. © 2003 by Springer Science+Business Media New York.