Prospective teachers' interpretation of multiplicative situations with fractions

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Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2019

Tezin Dili: İngilizce

Öğrenci: MERVE NUR KURSAV

Asıl Danışman (Eş Danışmanlı Tezler İçin): Ayhan Kürşat Erbaş

Özet:

This study examined middle school prospective teachers’ interpretations of multiplicative situations–multiplication and division–when solving problems with fractions. Multiplication situations with fractions are at the heart of middle school mathematics, so learning and teaching this concept is crucial. To improve learning and teaching these concepts, there is a need to educate middle school prospective teachers and design education programs for middle school prospective teachers to support their reasoning. Through coursework which emphasizes the importance of fraction-as-number and various interpretation of multiplicative situations with fractions with various curriculum materials, prospective teachers would be more competent in operating with fractions. In this study, middle school prospective teachers’ solutions were examined through a perspective that connects multiplication and division into a coherent framework. The analytical framework of this study placed emphasis on multiplication, partitive division, and quotitive division situations. The data were collected from 13 middle school prospective teachers’ final exam problems completed as part of a content course at a large university in the Southeastern United States. Findings revealed that (a) prospective teachers used strategies involving multiplicative situations after completing a two-semester sequence of mathematics content courses on fraction tasks (b) this instructional approach supported the development of an understanding of multiplicative operations with fractions and understanding of the meaning of multiplication and division for middle school prospective teachers, and (c) when allowed to choose methods prospective teachers used the partitive division (PDS) more often than the quotitive division (QDS) and multiplication situation (MS) correctly and appropriately.