From an examination of the 56 solution strategies for equivalent set multiplication and division ‘word problems,‘ two groups of common characteristics were
derived. One group lay in the degree of abstractness involved in the solution strategy; the other lay in the way in which physical objects were used. The children's
solution strategies classified by degree of abstraction fell into five categories: (a)
direct representation, (b) double counting, (c) transitional counting, (d) additive or
subtractive, and (e) recalled number fact. Within each category the strategies can
be further classified according to the use or nonuse of physical objects: (a) objects
used as representations of the unique elements in each set, (b) objects used as tallies or repeated references for the numbers spoken, and (c) no objects used.
Direct representation. When the children used a direct representation strategy,
they processed the information in a sequential way that reflected or paralleled the
structure of the problem. The children used physical materials to model the problem and some form of one-by-one counting in calculating the answer. For example,
consider the following multiplication problem