Conceptions of rational numbers in fractional representation : a study with students of the Youth and Adult Education (EJA)

Authors

  • Gerson Pastre Oliveira Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo - PUC/SP
  • Edinalva Rodrigues Ferreira Secretaria da Educação do Estado de São Paulo

Abstract

This article describes a qualitative research under the content analysis approach, carried out with students of the 2nd year of high school in a Youth and Adult Education, to identify obstacles of epistemological and didactic nature that are highlighted in learning of rational numbers in fractionary representation considering the conceptions part-whole and operator. Data were collected and analyzed from the answers produced by students in activities involving problem solving. For those activities, students proposed solutions working in pairs. The analyzes allowed to identify the occurrence of difficulties in understanding the meaning of rational numbers in its fractionary representation, largely caused by the absence of treatment of the identified epistemological and didactic obstacles as well as due to the prevalence of a prescriptive didactic contract, whose effects contribute to increase the dependence of students in relation to the teacher.

Author Biographies

Gerson Pastre Oliveira, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo - PUC/SP

Professor do Programa de Estudos Pós-Graduados em Educação Matemática da PUC/SP. Pesquisador do grupo PEA-MAT da PUC/SP.

Edinalva Rodrigues Ferreira, Secretaria da Educação do Estado de São Paulo

Mestre em Educação Matemática. Professora da Secretaria da Educação do Estado de São Paulo.

Published

2016-07-07

Issue

Section

Artigos