Unraveling the Metaphors of Mathematics in African Countries

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K13186
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 09040:Education on school subjects and primary/secondary education-related
• Research Institution: Hakodate National College of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Sudo Shun 函館工業高等専門学校, 一般系, 准教授 (90780693)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: メタファー / 正負の数 / 数直線 / 心的数直線 / アフリカ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Based on the hypothesis that the low level of mathematical achievement in African countries may be due to a lack of metaphorical learning necessary for understanding mathematical concepts. Therefore, we have conducted research and analysis on the addition and subtraction of positive and negative numbers. As a result, it was found that understanding and estimation of the number line, which is essential for the formation of a metaphor in which numbers can be realized as points on a straight line, have a significant impact on the learning of addition and subtraction of positive and negative numbers. The ability to estimate the ends and middle of a number line was found to be particularly important. In addition, research and analysis in support of the mental number line task, which quantifies the mental number line that is believed to form the basis of number concepts in the field of developmental psychology, suggested that the mental number line may not have been formed.

Free Research Field

国際数学教育協力

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

工業化を目指す多くのアフリカ諸国において低い数学学力は喫緊の課題である。同時に、わが国の国際協力においてアフリカ諸国に対する理数科教育は重点的に取り組まれている分野である。本研究成果の社会的意義としては、アフリカ諸国に対し、その低い数学学力の背景の一端を明らかにし、アフリカ諸国の数学教育への一助となることである。学術的意義としては、わが国の国際数学教育協力分野の研究において、これまでにない視点であるメタファーや心的数直線といった観点からの研究を実施し、生徒の概念理解の様相を定量的に明らかにする方法を提示できたことである。