The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a computer-based story on sixth grade students' mathematics word problem solving achievement. Problems were embedded in a story presented on a computer, and then compared to a paper-based story and to a condition that presented the problems as typical, isolated words problems. One hundred and twenty eight sixth grade students (77 male, 51 female) from two public middle schools in the city of Erzurum, Turkey, participated in this study. All participants completed mathematics word problem solving test which was used to determine students' pre-treatment level of problem solving achievement. In addition, the participants completed a reading comprehension pretest which was used to assess their reading abilities, ultimately categorizing them as high and low readers within the sample. High and low readers were then randomly assigned to one of the treatment groups in which they solved the same mathematics word problems: computer-story, paper-story and isolated word problems (non-story). After completing the treatments, all students solved mathematics word problems on a post-treatment test. Additionally, students in the story treatments (computer-story and paper-story) completed a story comprehension posttest that was used to evaluate their story comprehension. A one-way analysis of covariance, ANCOVA, and a two-way analysis of variance, ANOVA, were used to analyze students' achievement in the treatment groups. The results suggest that students in the computer story treatment had significantly higher problem solving achievement scores than students in the paper story and isolated word problems treatments. In addition, the story was found to be significantly more effective than the non-story treatment when it was presented on computer. Moreover, both high and low readers gained significantly higher problem solving achievement scores in the computer story vs. the isolated word problems treatment. The results also suggest that the computer story was more effective on high readers' problem solving practices than on the low readers' during their problem solving practices, and high readers' word problem solving achievement levels were significantly higher during their problem solving practices in the computer story treatment than in the other two treatments. Implications for anchored instruction theory, educators, and future studies are provided. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]