ORIGINAL ARTICLE The effects of Polya’ s heuristic and diary writing on children’ s problem solving Karina K. R. Hensberry & Tim Jacobbe Received: 18 April 2010 / Revised: 16 September 2011 /Accepted: 23 October 2011 / Published online: 28 January 2012 # Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Inc. 2012 Abstract This paper presents the results of a study that aimed at increasing students’ problem-solving skills. Polya’ s(1985) heuristic for problem solving was used and students were required to articulate their thought processes through the use of a structured diary. The diary prompted students to answer questions designed to engage them in the phases of Polya’ s(1985) heuristic. While it appeared as though most students did not internalise the diary questions, further analysis of students’ responses indicated that most students showed improvement in their solution strategies. These results indicate that having students write about their thinking may be beneficial for developing their problem-solving skills. Keywords Problem solving . Polya . Heuristic . Elementary . Diary writing Teaching mathematics through problem solving has long been suggested as a way to help all students learn (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 2000). It can allow for deep understanding to develop (Hiebert et al. 1997; Lesh and Zawojewski 2007; NCTM 2000; Schoenfeld 1987), connects school mathematics to that of the “real world” (Romberg 1994) and provides opportunities for all students to become engaged in and successful at mathematics (Hiebert et al. 1997; Lambdin 2003; National Research Council 1989). These potential benefits of problem solving and NCTM’ s(2000) insistence that problem solving is both an essential skill and means of learning mathematics led teachers and researchers alike to seek ways to support students’ problem-solving skills. George Polya (1985), through his four phases, provides one heuristic for solving problems that may help students become more successful problem solvers. This paper presents the results of a study that attempted Math Ed Res J (2012) 24:59–85 DOI 10.1007/s13394-012-0034-7 K. K. R. Hensberry (*) : T. Jacobbe School of Teaching and Learning, University of Florida, PO Box 117048, 2423 Norman Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611-7048, USA e-mail: khensberry@coe.ufl.edu T. Jacobbe e-mail: jacobbe@coe.ufl.edu