Concept Development of Decimals in Chinese Elementary Students: A Developmental Approach

• In Event: Elementary Preparation for Learning Algebra Concepts

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the concept development of decimal numbers by 244 Chinese elementary students in Grades 4 to 6. Three grades of students differed in their preliminary number sense of decimals, with more strategic approaches being used by older students and more general approaches by younger students. Misconceptions regarding the density nature of decimals and misconceptions regarding decimal calculation generally decreased across grades. Children’s misconceptions regarding the density nature appeared to be more persistent than misconceptions regarding decimal calculation. Many students in higher grades still relied on the discreteness nature of natural numbers to explain distance between two decimal numbers. Students in all three grades encountered difficulties applying knowledge of decimals to real life situations.

Authors

• Ru-de Liu, Beijing Normal University

• Yi Ding, Fordham University

• Min Zong, China Foreign Affairs University

• Dake Zhang, Rutgers University