An analysis toward sixth-graders’ comprehension on the word-problems of multiplication and division of fractions in mathematics textbooks

• Main Authors: Kang,Guei-Ying, 康桂瑛
• Other Authors: Yiu,Tzu-Ta
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/09528746580080670861

碩士 === 國立臺中教育大學 === 教育學系 === 98 === This study was to explore sixth-graders’ comprehension on different types of word problems of multiplication and division of fractions (MADOF). This study first identified the types of word problems used in mathematics textbooks and then examined the relationship between word-problem types and students’ comprehension of word problems. By content analysis, the researcher studied three visions of primary school mathematics textbooks and workbooks used in 2008 school year, and then identified word-problems types presented in them. Word problems of MADOF were categorized into different types by the explicitness of reference whole, forms of measurement units, presence of key-words in problem statements, forms of anaphora, and the narrating order in word-problem of quantity comparison. The word problems were then used in two sixth-graders’ interview to explore their comprehension. Based on the results of interviews, three major findings of this study were as follows: 1. Word-problem statements of MADOF with/without requirements of students’ judgment on reference whole closely related to students’ comprehension of the problems. 2. Word-problem statements of MADOF with known/ unknown reference whole closely related to students’ comprehension of the problems.. 3. The narrating order of assignment and relation in the quantity- comparison problems did not seem to relate to sixth-graders comprehension of the problem. Finally, implications of the findings of this study were discussed, and recommendations were made to textbook editors and researchers.