Assessing students' conceptual understanding using an online three‐tier diagnostic test.
When solving a mathematical problem, students who do not have sufficient conceptual understanding may perform poorly and exhibit misconceptions. This study was aimed to examine students' conceptual understanding and significant misconceptions when solving number sense‐related problems. An online thr...
| Published in: | Journal of Computer Assisted Learning Vol. 35; no. 5; pp. 678 - 690 |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
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Wiley-Blackwell
Oct2019
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=138441199&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 138441199 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 02664909 6M1 jtl: Journal of Computer Assisted Learning issn: 02664909 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Oct2019 vid: 35 iid: 5 pid: 480 pub: Wiley-Blackwell place: Malden, Massachusetts artinfo: ui: 138441199 138441199 138441199 10.1111/jcal.12368 138441199 ppf: 678 ppct: 12 formats: tig: atl: Assessing students' conceptual understanding using an online three‐tier diagnostic test. aug: au: Yang, Der‐Ching Sianturi, Iwan Andi J. affil: Graduate Institutes of Mathematics and Sciences Education, National Chiayi University, Taiwan, R.O.C. sug: subj: Student Knowledge Evaluation Student Attitudes Mathematics Internet Test Taking Human Child Hong Kong Students, Elementary Socioeconomic Factors Confidence Curriculum Coefficient alpha Construct Validity Pearson's Correlation Coefficient Funding Source Child: 6-12 years ab: When solving a mathematical problem, students who do not have sufficient conceptual understanding may perform poorly and exhibit misconceptions. This study was aimed to examine students' conceptual understanding and significant misconceptions when solving number sense‐related problems. An online three‐tier diagnostic test was administered to 125 fifth‐grade students with varied socio‐economic backgrounds in Hong Kong. Only 14.40% of the students exhibited high performance with high confidence, indicating that these students had a profound conceptual understanding of number sense. In addition, the majority of the students (66.40%) did not demonstrate number sense; these students exhibited several significant misconceptions and could solve the questions only by using a rule‐based method or guessing. Accordingly, most students performed unsatisfactorily on number sense‐related problems. This study is imperative in identifying early predictors and provides information for further compatible interventions in the teaching and learning of number sense in Hong Kong in particular and worldwide in general. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Students must be instilled with conceptual understanding to achieve mastery of mathematical understanding and be able to properly solve complex or novel problems.Students would likely exhibit misconceptions if they do not have sufficient conceptual understanding.Students' conceptual understanding can be examined by evaluating their confidence levels in solving a problem. What this paper adds: A three‐tier diagnostic test (question and answer, reasoning, and confidence) can be used to examine students' conceptual understanding.Students performed unsatisfactorily on number sense because they lack conceptual understanding of topics related to number sense.Students held significant misconceptions on understanding the basic meaning of numbers and operations, recognizing the number size, using multiple representations of numbers and operation, recognizing the relative effect of operations on numbers, and judging the reasonableness of a computational result. Implications for practice and/or policy: Conceptual understanding of related topics reflecting number sense should be prioritized over procedural knowledge and mathematical rules.Lack of conceptual understanding of relevant topics and relying on mathematical rules and formulas are the main root causes of students' unsatisfactory performance.The deliberate use of estimation questions, multiple presentations, and judging the reasonableness of a result can help learners develop their conceptual understanding of number sense. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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