Young children’s spontaneous representations of multiplicative semantic structures before formal introduction
Résumé
We present an exploratory study on young children’s spontaneous representations of multiplicative
problems. In contrast to prior research on this topic, we investigate children’s responses to using
different means of representation (manipulatives and drawings) and different multiplicative
semantic structures including equal groups, allocation, comparison, and rectangular array. Results
suggest that children aged 5- 6 years old can represent different multiplicative semantic structures,
but some structures appear to be more difficult. We found that drawing provided an alternative tool
to manipulatives when representing the problem, and sometimes it was easier for children than
using manipulatives. Some of the difficulties seem to be related to their familiarity with the
mathematical language. This observation opens possible paths for future research.
Origine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
---|