Supervisors info:
Ανδρονίκη Μπούφη, Καθηγήτρια, Παιδαγωγικό Τμήμα Δημοτικής Εκπαίδευσης, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Students’ conceptual knowledge of fractions is usually rather limited, both in the
primary and secondary education level. The present study, which was based on
Steffe’s fraction schemes, aimed at the development of the conceptual understanding
of fraction equivalence. The Greek primary school textbooks tend to focus on the
development of fractions as parts of a whole, which can however lead to a restricted
notion about fractions, since it is only one out of five interpretations of fraction (partwhole, quotient, measure, operator, ratio). In this study, an one-to-one design
experiment was conducted, so that the fraction equivalence could be approached
through the interpretation of fraction as a quotient. A total of seven sessions with an
11-year-old student were conducted during a period of three months. All the tasks
presented to the student involved equal-sharing situations, through which the student
was led to express a share in fraction form. At the end of each session, the research
team would conduct a retrospective analysis in order to discuss the student’s answers,
as well as to plan the remaining sessions.
Keywords:
fraction equivalence, quotient, fraction schemes, conceptual knowledge, design experiment
