Advisory Committee Chair
Constance Kamii
Advisory Committee Members
Charles Calhoun
Lois Christensen
Lynn Kirkland
Deborah Strevy
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2014
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Education
Abstract
The Common Core State Standards (2010) requires the quantification of area with the formula for a rectangle, length multiplied by width. More specifically, according to the Standards, third graders are to find the area of a rectangle by tiling it and showing that the area is the same as it would be from multiplying the side lengths. Is this a realistic expectation for third graders? The present study focuses on how children quantify area after receiving instruction on length x width, when asked to compare two rectangles having different dimensions. Fourth, sixth, and eighth graders were interviewed to find out how they quantify areas. It was found that even eighth graders did not use the formula and approached the questions at cognitively much lower levels. The educational implications are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Wilder, James, "How Children Quantify Area" (2014). All ETDs from UAB. 3328.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/3328