ERIC Number: EJ1233169
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2382-0373
EISSN: N/A
Can We Have 'Half Children'? Primary In-Service Teachers' Knowledge of Division
Dayal, Hem Chand; Lingam, Govinda lshwar
Waikato Journal of Education, v23 n1 p123-137 2018
Knowledge that teachers bring to the teaching context is one of the key factors in discussions about mathematics teaching. This study aimed to explore in-service primary teachers' knowledge of fraction division using division tasks. The first phase of the study examined fifty-one primary in-service teachers' written responses to division items. This sample of teachers represented seven different countries in the South Pacific region. The second phase of the study used focus group discussions with a smaller sample of teachers, to provide an in-depth analysis of teachers' knowledge of fraction division. The results from phase one indicated that the in-service teachers lacked a sound conceptual understanding of fraction division. In the second phase of the study, however, two out of the five teachers showed signs of developing a conceptual understanding of fraction division. This has implications for teacher professional learning and development.
Descriptors: Elementary School Teachers, Mathematics Instruction, Division, Children, Fractions, Pacific Islanders, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Foreign Countries, Mathematical Concepts, Concept Formation, Misconceptions
Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research. Division of Education, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand. Tel: +64-7-858-5171; Fax: +64-7-838-4712; e-mail: wmier@waikato.ac.nz; Web site: https://wje.org.nz/index.php/WJE
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Fiji
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A