Advisory Committee Chair
Ann Dominick
Advisory Committee Members
Lois Christensen
Charles Calhoun
Grace Jepkemboi
Tommy Smith
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2014
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Education
Abstract
This was a case-study design of the various ways students represented fractions on number lines. Students responded to task-based interview questions based on identifying fractions as a number on the number line as well as equivalency and problem solving. The tasks were administered individually to 26 fifth-grade students over a 15-minute time frame in their respective schools. The two groups of 10-year-old students answered most questions in written form on pencil and paper. The students were often asked to explain how they arrived at an answer. Student performance was highest when instructed to plot ½ on a number line of 0 to 1 as well as naming a fraction less than ½. Although no students attempted to solve the word problem with the number line as indicated, they performed lowest when they attempted to plot ½, ¼, and 1 on a number line with a predetermined unit 0 to 1/3. Other low performing concepts consisted of plotting ¼ on a number line from 0-3, identifying ¼ on a non-routine number line, and plotting a unit fraction with an equivalent fraction as well as an improper fraction on a common number line.
Recommended Citation
Witherspoon, Taajah Felder, "Fifth Graders' Understanding of Fractions on the Number Line: A Standard Introduced in the Common Core State Standardards for Third Graders" (2014). All ETDs from UAB. 3362.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/3362
