Empowering Learners to Choose the Difficulty Level of Problems Based on Their
Learning Needs
Janet Mannheimer Zydney, Lori Diehl, Amy Grincewicz, Paul Jones, Ted S. Hasselbring
Research has found that increasing learner control offers several
benefits, including increased motivation, attitude, and learning.
The goal of the present study was to determine how prior math
achievement influences students’ selection of the difficulty level
of problems within Math Pursuits, a hypermedia learning
program. Math Pursuits was designed to help children
understand mathematics by discovering how it relates to the
world around them. The program presented each learner with an
adjustable level of challenge, along with the necessary
scaffolding to support success. The researchers hypothesized
that students with lower math skills would choose to start with a
lower difficultly level; whereas, students with higher math skills
would begin the program by choosing a question with a higher
level of difficulty. Results supported these hypotheses. This
research also examined the motivational framework guiding
students’ selection of problem difficulty. Full Text
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