REALISTIC MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT IN MEASURING CONCEPTION OF GRADE 3 STUDENTS

Abstract

This qualitative action research aimed to study how to implement realistic mathematical education activities for the development of 15 Grade 3 students’ conceptions of measuring. The classroom action research model was used through its four stages: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting, for three cycles in total. The research tools included lesson plans, reflective forms, learning tasks, interviews, and conceptual tests. The data were analyzed through content analysis and checked by triangulation.

The results showed that realistic mathematical education activities needed four steps. Firstly, linking real-life situations to the mathematical world must be chosen in correlation with students’ interests to attract their attention. Second, designing mathematical conception for activities required a situation prepared by using simple language and being clear for students’ understanding, for a whole class working together. Then formally developing the students’ mathematical conceptions by asking questions to frame their presented ideas and asking them to compare the ideas with others in a group and the whole class. Fourthly, reflecting the ideas back to the real-life situation greatly allowed every student to exchange ideas with each other in front of the class. In addition, the students appeared to be able to correct their alternative conceptions both in their skills of measuring and their concepts of liters and milliliters.