Mathematical knowledge of pre-service teachers when performing measurement estimation tasks

Paula López-Serentill

doi:10.29333/ejmste/15169

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Paula López-Serentill ¹ ^*

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¹ Department of Specific Didactics, University of Girona, Girona, SPAIN^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Measurement estimation skills are relevant for our everyday life and should be addressed in the mathematics classroom. This study explores the measurement estimation strategies used by primary school pre-service teachers in length, area, volume, and capacity. The study participants consisted of 120 pre-service teachers who had not yet received formal university training on these concepts. While more than 80% demonstrated the ability to indicate a strategy and provide acceptable estimates for length measurements, significant difficulties were observed in estimating area, volume, and capacity, with many participants relying heavily on formulas. A series of activities were designed and implemented to improve pre-service teachers’ capacity for estimation. Results indicate a notable improvement in estimation skills following completion of the designed tasks. This study highlights the importance of addressing challenges in measurement estimation among pre-service teachers and offers insights for improving their proficiency in this area.

Keywords

estimation
measurement of magnitudes
primary education
pre-service teachers
mathematical knowledge

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 20, Issue 9, September 2024, Article No: em2508

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/15169

Publication date: 17 Sep 2024

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Article Downloads: 60

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How to cite this article

APA

López-Serentill, P. (2024). Mathematical knowledge of pre-service teachers when performing measurement estimation tasks. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 20(9), em2508. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/15169

Vancouver

López-Serentill P. Mathematical knowledge of pre-service teachers when performing measurement estimation tasks. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2024;20(9):em2508. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/15169

AMA

López-Serentill P. Mathematical knowledge of pre-service teachers when performing measurement estimation tasks. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2024;20(9), em2508. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/15169

Chicago

López-Serentill, Paula. "Mathematical knowledge of pre-service teachers when performing measurement estimation tasks". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2024 20 no. 9 (2024): em2508. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/15169

Harvard

López-Serentill, P. (2024). Mathematical knowledge of pre-service teachers when performing measurement estimation tasks. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 20(9), em2508. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/15169

MLA

López-Serentill, Paula "Mathematical knowledge of pre-service teachers when performing measurement estimation tasks". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 20, no. 9, 2024, em2508. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/15169