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Relations entre contexte, situation et schéma de résolution dans les problèmes d’estimation

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Abstract

Over the course of this study, we analyze the problem-solving schemes proposed for two sequences of estimation problems. In the first sequence, the problems ask for estimates directly, whereas in the second, each estimate is asked for based on a contextualized situation. The first objective is to identify, statistically, if there is a link between the problem-solving strategy and the characteristics of the context within which the estimation task occurs. The second objective is to analyze the impact that the structure of the word problem has on students’ success. To these ends, we analyzed the written answers of N=224 and N=87 university students who are in teacher training. The results show that there is a significant relationship (independent of the sequence) between the variables of the problems based on context and the proposed problem-solving strategy. Moreover, we observe that modifying the structure of the word problem makes the development of a problem-solving scheme more difficult only when the required estimate is not asked for directly. The results allow us to make conclusions about the potential use of these sequences to promote flexibility in approaches to problem solving.

Résumé

Au cours de cette étude, nous analysons les schémas de résolution de deux séquences de problèmes d’estimation. Dans la première séquence, les questions d'estimations sont posées directement tandis que dans la seconde, chaque estimation est demandée à partir d'une situation contextualisée. Le premier objectif consiste à identifier statistiquement s'il existe une relation entre le plan de résolution et les caractéristiques du contexte dans lequel s'inscrit la tâche d'estimation réelle. Le deuxième objectif consiste à analyser l’influence de la structure de l’énoncé du problème sur la réussite des étudiants. Ainsi, nous avons analysé les productions de N = 224 et N = 87 étudiants universitaires qui se préparent à devenir professeurs des écoles. Les résultats montrent qu'il existe une relation significative (et indépendante de la séquence) entre les variables des problèmes liées au contexte et le plan de résolution proposé. De plus, on observe que le fait de modifier la structure de l'énoncé du problème rend plus difficile l’élaboration d’un schéma de résolution seulement quand le nombre à estimer n’est pas demandé directement. Les résultats permettent de déduire des conclusions concernant l'utilisation potentielle de ces séquences pour favoriser la flexibilité dans la résolution des problèmes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament de Didàctica de la Matemàtica, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain

    Irene Ferrando, Carlos Segura & Marta Pla-Castells

  2. Facultat de Magisteri, Avda. Tarongers, 4, Valencian, Spain

    Irene Ferrando, Carlos Segura & Marta Pla-Castells

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  1. Irene Ferrando
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  2. Carlos Segura
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  3. Marta Pla-Castells
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Correspondence to Irene Ferrando.

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Ferrando, I., Segura, C. & Pla-Castells, M. Relations entre contexte, situation et schéma de résolution dans les problèmes d’estimation. Can. J. Sci. Math. Techn. Educ. 20, 557–573 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-020-00102-w

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