Preservice Teachers’ Algebraic Reasoning and Symbol Use on a Multistep Fraction Word Problem

Authors

Amanda Miller, Illinois State University
Jennifer Tobias, Illinois State University
Elif Safak, Florida Gulf Coast University
J. Vince Kirwan, Kennesaw State University
Nicole Enzinger, George Fox UniversityFollow
Megan Wickstrom, Montana State University
Jae Baek, Illinois State University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2017

Abstract

Previous research on preservice teachers’ understanding of fractions and algebra has focused on one or the other. To extend this research, we examined 85 undergraduate elementary education majors and middle school mathematics education majors’ solutions and solution paths (i.e., the ways or methods in which preservice teachers solve word problems) when combining fractions with algebra on a multistep word problem. In this article, we identify and describe common strategy clusters and approaches present in the preservice teachers’ written work. Our results indicate that preservice teachers’ understanding of algebra include arithmetic methods, proportions, and is related to their understanding of a whole.

Comments

Originally published in International Journal for Mathematics Teaching and Learning 2017, Vol 18.1, 109 - 131

http://www.cimt.org.uk/ijmtl/index.php/IJMTL/article/view/55

Recommended Citation

Miller, Amanda; Tobias, Jennifer; Safak, Elif; Kirwan, J. Vince; Enzinger, Nicole; Wickstrom, Megan; and Baek, Jae, "Preservice Teachers’ Algebraic Reasoning and Symbol Use on a Multistep Fraction Word Problem" (2017). Faculty Publications - College of Education. 165.
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/soe_faculty/165