Student Creativity in Mechanical and Non-Mechanical Word Problems

Abstract

The study distinguishes between mechanical word problems, which involve straightforward manipulation of mathematical symbols and procedures, and non-mechanical problems, which require interpreting real-life situations and translating them into mathematical models. To examine senior high school students’ cognitive processes, the researchers employed Wallas’s four-stage problem-solving model. Using a correlational research design, a sample of 350 students was randomly selected from a population of 638. Data were collected through questionnaires—chosen for scalability, anonymity, and accuracy—and observation checklists for their efficiency, objectivity, and systematic documentation. Findings for Research Question 1 indicated that Wallas’s information-processing model provided progressive scaffolding that supported students within their Zone of Proximal Development when working on mechanical word problems. This scaffolding gradually faded, enabling a transfer of responsibility as students moved from mechanical to non-mechanical problems. For Research Question 2, students’ knowledge levels were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and frequency distributions. Research Question 3 employed Chi-square tests and Pearson correlations. The results showed that students possessed limited knowledge of non-mechanical word problems compared to mechanical ones. Additionally, no statistically significant relationships were found between problem-solving performance and gender, age, or program of study. The study recommended that stakeholders design interventions tailored to the specific learning needs of students.