Reports on a study designed to construct an understanding of two grade 6 students' proportional reasoning schemes. Finds that two mental operations, unitizing and iterating, play an important role in students' use of multiplicative thinking in proportion tasks. (Author/MM)

A report of an experimental study regarding learning by sixth grade students. (MM)

The hypothesis investigated is that understanding of the long division algorithm requires a higher cognitive level than understanding of fundamental division concepts. Sixth-grade children were tested on performance and understanding of a given algorithm and concepts of division. (MP)

Discusses some aspects of the defining process in geometrical context in the reference frame of the theory of "figural concepts." Presents analysis of some examples taken from a teaching experiment at the sixth-grade level. Contains 30 references. (Author/ASK)

In recent years, the mathematics achievement of Peruvian students has been evaluated in three national and two international studies. The results in all cases suggest very poor learning. A similar situation is found in many developing countries. In this study, we analyzed the opportunities to learn (OTL) mathematics of sixth grade students from…

Comparison of the effectiveness of two computerized environments, Schemes for Problem Analysis (SPA) and Algebraic Proposer (AP), with two sixth-grade classes found that in solving easy word problems, both software systems were equally helpful, but in harder word problems, those students who learned with SPA experienced more success than those who…

This paper examines 6th grade children's local conceptual development and mathematization processes as they worked a comprehensive mathematical modeling problem (creating a consumer guide for deciding the best snack chip) over several class periods. The children and their teachers were participating in a 3-year longitudinal teaching experiment in…

Describes a model of adaptable learning that takes into account the interaction between affective and cognitive variables in learning situations, introduces an instrument for measuring relevant aspects of this model, and presents initial results of the application of this instrument to (n=30) 6th-grade students. (53 references) (Author/MKR)

Two lessons introducing probability taught by an expert and a nonexpert sixth-grade teacher were analyzed for the quality of teaching. The expert teacher more consistently explicated the relationship between formal symbols and the given mathematical tasks. Other differences concerned the handling of student contributions. (40 references) (MKR)

In early algebra students often struggle with equation solving. Modeled on Streefland's studies of students' own productions a prototype pre-algebra learning strand was designed which takes students' informal (arithmetical) strategies as a starting point for solving equations. In order to make available the skills and tools needed for manipulating…

Study analyzed the written protocols of 900 elementary mathematics students from 5 achievement levels utilizing a 15-item arithmetic and problem-solving test administered in grade 3 and again in grade 6. Correct solutions resulted from similar strategies regardless of the achievement level, yet incorrect solutions ensued from many incorrect…

Presents 2 mathematical projects involving (n=25) fourth-grade and (n=26) sixth-grade students' concept mapping (on fractions and on geometry) that allowed monitoring of students' individual understanding over time and provided information about students' conceptual understanding. (37 references) (Author/MKR)

Longitudinal study of mathematics achievement and gender of (n=60) students progressing from 6th to 12th grade found consistent gender differences in stereotyping mathematics as a male domain; identified no difference in spatial, verbal, or mathematics skills; and found positive correlation between achievement and confidence. (17 references)…

Described is a year-long study of the way a group of six 12-year-old children went about solving a special class of geometric problems using a computer and a limited set of LOGO programing tools. Examines solution strategies deciding whether those strategies led to insights about mathematical relations. (Author/MVL)