Effects of Grade Level and Object Size on Students’ Measurement Estimation Performance

Hsin-Mei E. Huang

doi:10.29333/ejmste/9342

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Hsin-Mei E. Huang ¹ ^*

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¹ University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan, REPUBLIC OF CHINA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

The current study examined the effects of grade level and object size on the ability to estimate the measurement of objects. Fifth- (n = 198) and sixth-grade (n = 208) students and freshman undergraduate students (n = 71) from Taipei city, Taiwan, participated in the study. The findings indicated a tendency for measurement estimation ability to increase with grade level. Overall, estimation performance was most accurate with medium-sized to-be-estimated objects (TBEOs), while estimates of small-sized TBEOs were more accurate than those of large-sized TBEOs. A tendency to underestimate the measurements of large-sized TBEOs was observed in all groups. Those with good estimation abilities showed a preference for using body parts and convenient objects as references. Moreover, the integration of measurement units constructed from previous experience and eyeballing was an essential skill used by good estimators. Suggestions for measurement estimation instruction are discussed.

Keywords

estimation strategy
grade
measurement estimation
object size

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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, 2020, Volume 16, Issue 12, Article No: em1923

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/9342

Publication date: 28 Dec 2020

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Article Downloads: 1102

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How to cite this article

APA

Huang, H.-M. E. (2020). Effects of Grade Level and Object Size on Students’ Measurement Estimation Performance. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(12), em1923. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/9342

Vancouver

Huang HME. Effects of Grade Level and Object Size on Students’ Measurement Estimation Performance. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2020;16(12):em1923. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/9342

AMA

Huang HME. Effects of Grade Level and Object Size on Students’ Measurement Estimation Performance. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2020;16(12), em1923. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/9342

Chicago

Huang, Hsin-Mei E.. "Effects of Grade Level and Object Size on Students’ Measurement Estimation Performance". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2020 16 no. 12 (2020): em1923. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/9342

Harvard

Huang, H.-M. E. (2020). Effects of Grade Level and Object Size on Students’ Measurement Estimation Performance. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(12), em1923. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/9342

MLA

Huang, Hsin-Mei E. "Effects of Grade Level and Object Size on Students’ Measurement Estimation Performance". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 16, no. 12, 2020, em1923. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/9342