Talking Aloud Helps Solve Math Problems

GRANADA, Spain, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Students who think aloud when solving a math problem solve it faster and have more possibilities of finding the right solution, Spanish researchers say.

University of Granada researchers analyzed in depth the work of three last-year students of the degree in mathematics at the University of Granada, who were isolated separately to solve a problem and were recorded in video to study their speeches aloud later.

Jose Luis Villegas Castellanos of the University of the Andes, Venezuela, and Enrique Castro Martinez and Jose Gutierrez, of the University of Granada, confirm "the representations -- such as talking aloud or drawing the problems -- play an essential role in mathematic thought, favor the understanding of concepts and stimulate the development of a flexible and versatile thought in the solution of problems."

The researchers found the ability in the management of representations "is closely related to the success in problems solution."
The findings are published in the journal Revista de investigacion psicoeductiva and the Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology