Abstract

CAPILLA, Rubicel Manuel. Cognitive skills and meaningful learning of addition and subtraction of common fractions. Cuad. Investig. Educ. [online]. 2016, vol.7, n.2, pp.49-62. ISSN 1510-2432.

The research had the objective of identifying the correlation and impact existing between equivalence, comparison and order of fractions -considering them as skills or cognitive processes- and meaningful learning of addition and subtraction of common fractions. In this sense, the following question was raised: What is the correlation and impact of cognitive skills in respect of meaningful learning of the addition and subtraction of common fractions? A quantitative approach and quasi-experimental, longitudinal and co-relational design were adopted, with a sampling comprised of 17 students attending lower secondary tele-education. To measure the variables, two survey questionnaires were applied that are equivalent in content, with closed questions or differentiated in digits to ensure reliability of the results applied at the stages of the pretest and posttest, respectively. In the intermediate phase, a sequence of applied learning was applied in order to develop the aforementioned cognitive skills from recreational activities and problem situations as well as the use of concrete and controllable resources. The results reveal a strong positive correlation between the variables of cognitive skill and fraction operations, which presumes that the development of cognitive skills positively catalyze meaningful learning of the said mathematical operations and vice versa.

Keywords : cognitive processes; adding fractions; subtracting fractions; meaningful learning.

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