The thesis Presenting Word Problems Solving of Preschool Children discusses various manners in which preschool children can help themselves when solving word problems. Representing mathematical tasks is critical when learning the subject, as it aids the pupils in thinking mathematically, communicating mathematically, as well as examining and explaining the meanings of mathematical concepts. Enabling children to explore several different ways of presenting a mathematical concept in an interconnected manner encourages the development of their conceptual understanding of the idea, as well as mathematical reasoning in general. Solving mathematical word problems assists children in making connections between their conceptual and procedural mathematical knowledge. By solving such word problems, they learn to apply this knowledge and their skills in real life.
In a way, word problems resemble a bridge between real life and mathematics, yet children face many difficulties when solving them. For the empirical component of the thesis, I researched firstly, how successfully children solve word problems, secondly, whether they manage to solve them using concrete, graphic or symbolic representation, thirdly, the relationship between the representation of the word problem on the one hand and the success of the solution of such a word problem on the other, and, lastly, which representation children choose most often for the task. The results show that children between the ages of five and six are already capable of solving word problems rather successfully. Through analysis, I found that a concrete representation is most helpful to this age group. Although they already attempt to employ symbolic representations, their annotation is not yet mathematically correct. Predominantly, they already know how to use conventional symbols – numbers – albeit these are often inverted. When employing graphic representation, children most often depict objects which have been the subject of their concrete representation. Often, they solve the word problem spontaneously, without the help of representations, but rather by recalling facts.
|
