A Test for Understanding Simple Fractions Among 5th Grade Students at the Beginning of Lower Secondary Education
Tímea Karika 1 , Csaba Csíkos 2 *
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1 Doctoral School in Mathematics, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, HUNGARY2 Department of Educational Evaluation and Planning, University of Szeged, HUNGARY* Corresponding Author

Abstract

In this research, a new test for understanding simple fractions has been developed for students at the beginning of lower secondary education. In many countries, mathematics education in Grade 5 builds on elementary students’ developing concepts of fractions. Understanding fractions causes many difficulties for students, and research on mental representations of fractions suggests that different visualizations may be helpful in teaching and learning. The sample consisted of 124 5th-grade students, and the reliability of the test proved to be high (alpha=.95). Out of the three types of visualization, the pie chart was the easiest to recognize, and 1/2 (half) proved to be the easiest, and 1/3 (one-third) the most difficult to be recognized. The type of visualization has a stronger effect on students’ performance than the type of fraction (unit versus non-unit fractions). Most surprisingly, students were better at recognizing 2/4 and 2/3 than their unit fraction counterparts, 1/2 and 1/3. The test was supplemented by questions on attitude towards learning fractions.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, 2022, Volume 18, Issue 2, Article No: em2081

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/11654

Publication date: 01 Feb 2022

Article Views: 1455

Article Downloads: 1349

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