How Middle School Students Deal
with Rational Numbers? A Mixed
Methods Research Study
More details
Hide details
1
Gazi Üniversitesi, TURKEY
Publication date: 2013-12-14
EURASIA J. Math., Sci Tech. Ed 2013;9(2):213-221
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to identify 7th grade students’ common mistakes and/or
misconceptions about representing rational numbers in different forms. Seventy-three 7th
grade students participated in this study. We utilized a diagnostic test with 8 questions in
order to determine common student mistakes. For identifying misconceptions, we
conducted interviews with 25 of the participants purposefully chosen from among the
ones who made mistakes more frequently. The data analysis showed that students had
difficulties especially in determining rational numbers, relating rational numbers with
decimals, representing rational numbers, and rational-number division. Moreover, the
current study also revealed students’ misconceptions about dividing by zero and division
of integers (with + – signs). The results suggest that using concrete materials and multiple
representations would be more beneficial for overcoming these difficulties and for a
sound understanding of the abstract nature of rational numbers.