Key words can be a convenient crutch for both students and teachers, but they become virtually meaningless as the problems become harder, according to researchers.

"Word problem-solving is influenced by both the science of reading and the science of math. Key components include number sense, decoding, language comprehension and working memory.

Study shows addressing working memory can help students with math difficulty improve word problem-solving skills Working memory shown to have key role; interventions helped students boost key ...

The key factor: Before each task, a yellow circle or a blue square would indicate whether a math problem or a word problem would follow.

Word problems involve reading, executive functioning, problem solving, computation and vocabulary, which means there are a lot of ways for students to go wrong when trying to solve them.