The Meaning of Unit Square and Area Formula for Turkish Students


Olkun S., Celebi O., Fidan E., Engin O., Gokgun C.

HACETTEPE UNIVERSITESI EGITIM FAKULTESI DERGISI-HACETTEPE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, vol.29, no.1, pp.180-195, 2014 (SSCI) identifier identifier

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine how students use the unit square and area formula in different situations. Data were collected through one-on-one interviews with a total of 248 students from 4th, 6th, 8th, and 9th grades of 11 schools in 4 different cities in Turkey. The data collection tool consisted of problems related to unit square and area measurement. Based on their answers and strategies, it is sought to determine if the students accept the unit square as a unit of area measurement. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data revealed that students from 4th through 9th grade do not accept the unit square as a unit of area measurement. Findings are discussed in light of different teaching approaches to area concept. Implications for teaching the area concept and its measurement in elementary grades are discussed.