Abstract
children’s mathematical concepts, this case study compares the reversibility schemes of
two eighth-grade students. The aim of the study was to identify the mechanism through
which students reverse their thought processes in a multiplicative situation. Data collected
through clinical interviews depict the precise strategies that the participants used to work
back to find the missing values in an inverse proportional task. This study also illustrates
how a conceptual template generated by one of the participants afforded him considerable
flexibility in the multiplicative task. Another outcome of the study is that it shows how the
numerical characteristics of the parameters in the problem affected the students’ ability to
reverse their thought processes. We infer that there is a need for further research on how
students might represent their reversibility schemes in the form of algebraic equations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 138-151 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | The Journal of Mathematical Behavior |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Reversibility of thought: An instance in multiplicative tasks. / RAMFUL, Ajay; Olive, John.
In: The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, Vol. 27, No. 2, 2008, p. 138-151.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Reversibility of thought: An instance in multiplicative tasks
AU - RAMFUL, Ajay
AU - Olive, John
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - In line with current efforts to understand the piece-by-piece structure and articulation ofchildren’s mathematical concepts, this case study compares the reversibility schemes oftwo eighth-grade students. The aim of the study was to identify the mechanism throughwhich students reverse their thought processes in a multiplicative situation. Data collectedthrough clinical interviews depict the precise strategies that the participants used to workback to find the missing values in an inverse proportional task. This study also illustrateshow a conceptual template generated by one of the participants afforded him considerableflexibility in the multiplicative task. Another outcome of the study is that it shows how thenumerical characteristics of the parameters in the problem affected the students’ ability toreverse their thought processes. We infer that there is a need for further research on howstudents might represent their reversibility schemes in the form of algebraic equations.
AB - In line with current efforts to understand the piece-by-piece structure and articulation ofchildren’s mathematical concepts, this case study compares the reversibility schemes oftwo eighth-grade students. The aim of the study was to identify the mechanism throughwhich students reverse their thought processes in a multiplicative situation. Data collectedthrough clinical interviews depict the precise strategies that the participants used to workback to find the missing values in an inverse proportional task. This study also illustrateshow a conceptual template generated by one of the participants afforded him considerableflexibility in the multiplicative task. Another outcome of the study is that it shows how thenumerical characteristics of the parameters in the problem affected the students’ ability toreverse their thought processes. We infer that there is a need for further research on howstudents might represent their reversibility schemes in the form of algebraic equations.
KW - Reversibility
KW - Multiplicative
KW - Proportion
U2 - 10.1016/j.jmathb.2008.07.005
DO - 10.1016/j.jmathb.2008.07.005
M3 - Article
VL - 27
SP - 138
EP - 151
JO - Journal of Mathematical Behavior
JF - Journal of Mathematical Behavior
SN - 0732-3123
IS - 2
ER -