The Ability of intermediate level students to use Strategies of solving Verbal Mathematical Questions

This study aimed to identify the level of mastery of solving strategies of verbal mathematical problems exhibited by Intermediate Stage students (male and female) and revealing whether differences existed in the mastery level between the students (male and female) of the Intermediate Stage attributed to gender; and to realize the objective of the study the researcher followed the descriptive survey methodology. The study sample was comprised of (806) students, (415) males and (391) females, studying in the first-class intermediate at General Education schools affiliated to the General Administration of Education at Ahad Al Masarha in Gazan Region.
The study tool was a test employed to gauge the mastery level of all male and female students in the intermediate firs-class as regard the strategies of solving verbal mathematical problems.
The study arrived at the following results:

The students (male and female) could master the step: I UNDERSTAND.
The male students could not master the step: I PLAN; while the female students could master the step: I PLAN.
The students (male and female) could not master the step: I SOLVE, and the step: I VERIFY.
The students (male and female) could not master the steps of solving verbal mathematical problems as a whole.
The students (male and female) could not master the strategies of solving verbal mathematical problems: guessing; verifying; searching for a pattern; solving in reverse; and illustrative drawing.
The existence of statistically significant differences at the significance level (O, O5) between the mean responses of the students (male and female) in the step: I UNDERSTAND, and the step: I PLAN, in favor of the female students' mean score.
Non-existence of statistically significant differences at the significance level (O, O5) between the mean responses of the students (male and female) in the step: I SOLVE and the step: I VERIFY.
The existence of statistically significant differences at the significance level (O, O5) between the mean responses of the students (male and female) in the strategies: "guessing", "verifying", "solving in reverse" and the strategy of illustrative drawing in favor of the mean score of the female students.
Non-existence of statistically significant differences at the significance level (O, O5) between the mean responses of students (male and female) in the strategy of "searching for a pattern".

In light of the preceding results arrived at in this study, the researcher presented a number of important recommendations: getting the students (male and female) used to solving verbal mathematical problem following the four steps: (UNDERSTAND, PLAN, SOLVE, VERIFY) and through employing the appropriate solving strategies; also the need to prepare mathematics teachers (male and female) before service so that they would be capable of teaching strategies of solving verbal mathematical problems applying the best model form.