Cheryll Fitzpatrick

Cheryll completed an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Memorial University under the supervision of Dr. Darcy Hallett and has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for both programs. Cheryll’s research focuses broadly on students’ learning and understanding of mathematical knowledge and success, specifically focusing on mathematical word problems – math problems that are embedded in a story. 

Her doctoral work examined performance on mathematical word problem performance when the problem requires the activation and use of real-world knowledge.  Realistic math word problems require the use of real-world considerations when answering the problem, which could mean using estimation, determining a range of possible answers, and even recognizing when an answer cannot be found.  For example, knowing that a runner cannot maintain their sprinting speed over a long distance, that is, using a non-proportional method to solve what, on the surface, appears to be a proportional problem.

As a member of Dr. Hallett’s RCDMC lab Cheryll has worked on projects including individual differences in fraction and algebra learning and understanding, math anxiety in adult and child populations, spatial-numerical cognition, math self-concept and gender stereotypes, and concepts in division.