Middle school mathematics teachers’ understanding of the Singapore bar model method as a problem-solving heuristic in algebra teaching

Date

2024-9-03

Author

Özalp, Feyza Arife

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This study aims to examine strategies of middle school mathematics teachers for solving algebra problems and their use of the Singapore Bar Model method. Data were collected from eighteen middle school mathematics teachers on an online platform. One-on-one interviews were recorded with the permission of the teachers. Each teacher was asked about three categories of algebra problems determined according to a previous study, and they were asked for solution strategies. The strategies used in these problems were analyzed by considering problem-solving heuristics. The frequencies of the strategies used by teachers were compared across the problems. In addition, the teachers examined the solutions in which students used the bar model method in similar problem styles. The study examined how teachers understand and use bar models in terms of the components and quantitative relations of the bar model. The findings showed that the teachers tended to use equations for the solutions of algebra problems. Also, based on the findings, the teachers did not know the terminology of the Bar Model method and they conceived the bar model as a representative object, not as a quantity. According to the results of the study, it was observed that the teachers perceived the importance of using the Bar Model method in algebra teaching due to its potential to provide students with a concrete space. This study suggests that curriculum developers and teacher educators should pay more attention to the use of the Bar Model in teaching so that teachers can be competent in teaching algebra.

Subject Keywords

Algebra teaching, Singapore bar model method, Teachers’ understanding of algebra, Middle school mathematics teachers

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/111495

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis