Pictures in mathematical word problems: A systematic review on the role of task and student characteristics

Mathematical word problem-solving proves challenging for many students, especially in elementary school. Accompanying word problems with pictures has been argued to support students in solving mathematical word problems. However, the potential benefits of pictures may vary in terms of the cognitive demandingness of the word problem (i.e., task characteristics) and students' skills and motivation (i.e., student characteristics). The aim of this systematic review was to examine how both task and student characteristics modify the relationship between of pictures and elementary schoolers’ mathematical word problem-solving performance. Records for the systematic review were obtained through five electronic databases and citation searching. The results were reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework. The findings showed that the presence of representational pictures was related with better performance with relatively simple mathematical word problems (e.g., additive single-digit tasks with the first position of the unknown). However, task characteristics did not seem to modify the neutral effects of decorative pictures or the negative effects of informative pictures. From student characteristics, cognitive skills are the most probable factor to potentially influence the relationship between pictures and students’ performance. These findings highlight the necessity of considering the potential interactions between different kinds of pictures in addition to task and student characteristics in future research. These aspects are also important for making instructional decisions about pictures in mathematical word problem-solving skills.