Effects of Feedback Tailored to Bilingual Students' Mathematics Needs on Verbal Problem Solving

4 mathematics teachers were trained to provide oral feedback to their bilingual sixth-grade students who had performed below average on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. The treatment was based on Mayer's (1987) model of problem solving using a metacognitive approach that emphasized 4 processes in problem solution: translation, integration, planning and monitoring, and solution execution. The study was conducted with in-service teachers who were taking a course in teaching mathematics to bilingual students. Data were based on pre- and posttests of 80 students' word problem solving. Observers documented teachers' implementation of feedback. Results showed significant main effects of 6 hours of feedback that favored the experimental group on mathematics achievement, and significant gender differences on posttest performance that favored males. The results suggest that this type of feedback would be beneficial in regular bilingual classroom instruction.