Student performance on and preferences for mathematics word problems: An investigation of the effects of explicit timing and interspersing procedures

A within-subjects design was used to compare two instructional methods - explicit timing and interspersing - with 187 second-grade students. Students completed two mathematics word problem assignments under differing conditions. In the explicit timing condition, students were told they would be timed while working long mathematics word problems. In the interspersing condition, students were presented with brief mathematics problems between longer target mathematics word problems, but were not told they would be timed. Students then completed a preference survey. Results indicated that both assignments produced similar problem completion rates and the number of target problems and accuracy remained constant. Students reported that the explicit timing assignment required the most time and effort to complete and was the most difficult; however, there was no preference for homework choice. The significance of the current findings in relation to the explicit timing and interspersing literature, the continued need to compare two or more interventions directly, and the significance of student preference data are discussed.