2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Instructional intervention for ratio concepts based on "logic of children"

Research Project

Project/Area Number	15530439
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Educational psychology
Research Institution	Ritsumeikan University
Principal Investigator	YOSHIDA Hajime Ritsumeikan University, Psychology, professor, 文学部, 教授 (80094085)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	KURIYAMA Kazuhiro Kyushu University of health and welfare, professor, 保健学部, 教授 (10170094) HOSHINO Yuji Ritsumeikan University, professor, 文学部, 教授 (20202301)
Project Period (FY)	2003 – 2005
Keywords	ratio concepts / informal knowledge / curriculum / logic of children
Research Abstract	The present study investigated effect of new curriculum on ratio concepts. The curriculum was composed of two aspects : the one was to introduce "logic of children" on the concepts. The other was to make clear concrete cognitive barrier from preventing understanding of children. The target children was fifth graders in a public elementary school. They were compared with pupils who were taught the concepts according to typical textbook on math. Intervention lasted about three weeks. As results, pupils in the experimental condition indicated better understanding in problem solving on ratio concepts, in judgment on magnitude or meaning of ratio concepts than control children. Thus, this study demonstrated that new approach based on the "logic of children" promoted understanding very hard concepts to learn.

(3 results)