TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating preservice teachers’ understanding of balance concepts utilizing a clinical interview method and a virtual tool
AU - Wilhelm, Jennifer
AU - Matteson, Shirley
AU - She, Xiaobo
PY - 2012/12
Y1 - 2012/12
N2 - Our study was enacted in university mathematics education classes in the USA
with preservice teachers (PSTs). This research focused on PSTs’ interview responses that were
used to assess their understanding of balance when challenged with tasks involving virtual
manipulatives. Siegler’s rules were used in analyzing PSTs’ responses to balance tasks to help
determine each PST’s level of abstraction achieved regarding balance, equilibrium, or
equivalence. Specifically, the data were analyzed regarding 3 different aspects: (a) the PSTs’
understanding of balance, (b) what previous knowledge was exhibited by the PSTs throughout
the enactment of the tasks, and (c) the mathematics utilized by the PSTs as they problemsolved
with the virtual balance applet. The results showed PSTs relying on visual cues to
implement procedures that were often inappropriate for the task at hand. When confronted
with missing value balance tasks, 47 % of the PSTs attempted an incorrect procedure using
direct propor
AB - Our study was enacted in university mathematics education classes in the USA
with preservice teachers (PSTs). This research focused on PSTs’ interview responses that were
used to assess their understanding of balance when challenged with tasks involving virtual
manipulatives. Siegler’s rules were used in analyzing PSTs’ responses to balance tasks to help
determine each PST’s level of abstraction achieved regarding balance, equilibrium, or
equivalence. Specifically, the data were analyzed regarding 3 different aspects: (a) the PSTs’
understanding of balance, (b) what previous knowledge was exhibited by the PSTs throughout
the enactment of the tasks, and (c) the mathematics utilized by the PSTs as they problemsolved
with the virtual balance applet. The results showed PSTs relying on visual cues to
implement procedures that were often inappropriate for the task at hand. When confronted
with missing value balance tasks, 47 % of the PSTs attempted an incorrect procedure using
direct propor
M3 - Article
SP - doi: 10.1007/210763-012-9371-y
JO - International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education
JF - International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education
ER -