Honors Program Theses
Award/Availability
Open Access Honors Program Thesis
First Advisor
Chepina Rumsey
Abstract
Studying fractions and decimals is foundational work in upper elementary grades. There are many challenges that students face with these topics and many ways teachers can build on the understanding that they bring to the classroom. Studying conjectures and students’ mathematical thinking is important as we build foundational knowledge for students with fractions and decimals. Studying the conjectures that students make can be a captivating journey into the world of mathematical reasoning and exploration. Making conjectures is one part of mathematical argumentation, an important practice to include in mathematics teaching. I studied the conjectures of grades 3-5 students in the specific content area of fractions and decimals. I worked with Chepina Rumsey, an associate professor in the Mathematics Department, on this research project in conjunction with the book she is writing: Reigniting Math Curiosity with Learners in Grades 3-5. Together, we created lessons and studied students' conjectures to understand their thinking better. The central themes of this research relate to elementary school students’ reasoning and sensemaking, students’ understanding of fractions and decimals, and mathematical argumentation at the upper elementary school level. This research investigated the following questions:
1. What conjectures do students in grades 3-5 make in the specific content area of fractions and decimals?
2. How can we categorize the types of conjectures that students make?
Year of Submission
2024
Department
Department of Mathematics
University Honors Designation
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation University Honors
Date Original
12-2024
Object Description
1 PDF (19 pages)
Copyright
©2024 Lauren Elizabeth Bork
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Bork, Lauren Elizabeth, "Mathematical Conjectures in Grades Three through Five Relating to Fractions and Decimals" (2024). Honors Program Theses. 965.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/hpt/965
