Exploring Estimation in Young Primary School Children |
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| Authors: | Michael A Forrester Janette Latham Beatrice Shire |
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| Institution: | Institute of Social and Applied Psychology , University of Kent at Canterbury |
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| Abstract: | There is an increasing emphasis in mathematics education on the importance of estimation abilities in children. This study investigates the role of context upon primary‐aged children's estimation skills. Children in three age groups (from aged 5 to 8 years) were asked to carry out a range of estimation tasks involving distance, area and volume measurements. The tasks varied in type and complexity and were either of a ‘real‐world’ or ‘mathematics task’ form. In addition to performance measures the children's answers to questions on how they carried out the estimates were recorded and analysed. Quantitative and qualitative analyses found significant effects for context and child strategy. Estimates in contexts perceived as mathematical were different, both in that they changed with age and in their error patterns, from contexts involving perceptual‐motor skills. The children's answers highlight the importance of imagery and classroom experience. The results are discussed within a model of estimating. |
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