Fostering arithmetic problem-solving in primary education through didactic sequences with ethnomathematical connections using chontaduro commercialization
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Camilo Andrés Rodríguez-Nieto 1 * , Kenny Tatiana Labio-Petefi 2 , Yeimy Katherine Palacios-Balanta 2 , Adriana García-Moreno 2 , Angela Castro Inostroza 3 , Benilda María Cantillo-Rudas 4 , Sudirman Sudirman 5
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1 Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, COLOMBIA2 Universidad del Valle, Cali, COLOMBIA3 Universidad San Sebastián, Puerto Montt, CHILE4 Institución Universitaria de Barranquilla, Barranquilla, COLOMBIA5 Universitas Terbuka, South Tangerang, Banten, INDONESIA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

The literature shows that primary, secondary, and higher education students have difficulty solving problems involving arithmetic operations. The research goal was to implement a teaching sequence based on the ethnomathematical connections identified in the marketing of chontaduro in Santander de Quilichao, Cauca, Colombia, to promote the resolution of additive and multiplicative problems in primary school children. The research was based on the extended theory of connections, the typology of additive and multiplicative problems according to semantic structure, and universal activities. This is a qualitative-exploratory research with an ethnographic approach developed in two large stages. In the first, the daily practices of chontaduro marketing were analyzed. The merchant was selected and interviewed, and then the data were analyzed to identify ethnomathematical knowledge. The second stage included three moments: selection of volunteer students from a public institution in Santander de Quilichao; design of a didactic-ethnomathematical sequence based on the practice of chontaduro marketing and additive and multiplicative structures; and development of the seminar-workshop with the students to analyze problem-solving. The results showed that, in the sale of chontaduro in different units (bags, segments, and bundles) and in the counting processes, arithmetic operations with money are fundamental for solving and understanding additive problems (change, combination, comparison, and equalization) and multiplicative problems (multiplying factor, repeated addition, ratio, or proportion). This type of ethnomathematical teaching sequence has allowed students to consistently solve problems that involve everyday practices in their immediate sociocultural context.

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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, Volume 22, Issue 9, September 2026, Article No: em2899

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/19123

Publication date: 11 Aug 2026

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