Project Details
Description
Number information is frequently presented using proportions. Research has shown, however, that elementary school-aged children have great difficulty reasoning proportionally and struggle with fractions and decimals, which are crucial concepts for success in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The source of much of this difficulty is because proportions are composed of relative quantities that do not follow the same principles as more familiar absolute quantities (e.g., 3/4 is greater than 6/10, though neither 3 nor 4 is greater than either 6 or 10). Indeed, recent research has found that some of children's difficulties with proportions are attributable to an over-application of well-practiced mathematical problem solving using whole number. The focus of this project will be to examine individual differences and potential context effects on a range of quantitative tasks throughout children's development.
In a first study, elementary school students will complete a battery of computerized tasks that will measure proportional equivalence, whole number operations, and numerical estimation abilities. The investigators predict that in younger children, those who perform well on whole number operations problems will perform poorly on the proportional equivalence problems, but in older children there will be a positive correlation between problem types. In a second study, children will complete a series of relative or absolute quantity problems followed by the proportional reasoning task. The investigators predict that those who solve relative quantity problems first will perform better on the proportional reasoning task than those who initially solve absolute quantity problems. This project will inform the developmental progression that underlies much of mathematical thinking. The results will contribute to an understanding of how best to instruct children in mathematical concepts, with direct implications for STEM educational practices. If there is an inverse relationship between early understanding of proportional reasoning concepts and whole number operations, and if proportional reasoning abilities vary with the immediate problem-solving context as predicted, then this would suggest extra care must be used in introducing these concepts to children. This work will also suggest techniques that might be adopted to introduce these concepts most effectively.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 07/1/14 → 06/30/17 |
Funding
- National Science Foundation: $113,218.00