Positives About Negatives: A Case Study of an Intermediate Model for Signed Numbers

Baruch B. Schwarz*, Amy S. Kohn, Lauren B. Resnick

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this article, we present a study using an intermediate abstraction as a model for the acquisition of the concept of negative numbers. The intermediate abstraction is a computerized environment based on a detailed epistemological analysis of negative numbers. Four children participated in activities with the intermediate abstraction during eleven 30-min training sessions. This article outlines the development of the children's representations of negative numbers during the experiment. We analyzed how students used their representations as problem models in transfer tasks with several different referents. The results obtained in the experiment support the use of certain environments for the acquisition of higher level mathematical concepts that cannot be learned informally.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)37-92
Number of pages56
JournalJournal of the Learning Sciences
Volume3
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 1994
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Positives About Negatives: A Case Study of an Intermediate Model for Signed Numbers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this