Do connectives improve the level of understandability in mathematical reality-based tasks?
Lena Dammann 1 * , Lena Heine 2 , Dominik Leiss 1 , Timo Ehmke 1
More Detail
1 Leuphana University Lueneburg, Lüneburg, GERMANY2 University of Bochum, Bochum, GERMANY* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that sentence-linking elements, like connectives, enhance text comprehension since they help produce a context of meaning. However, there is no evidence yet on whether connectives influence the understanding and solving of reality-based mathematical tasks. In this study, reality-based tasks were varied to create two versions with identical content, differing only in whether coherence relations were expressed explicitly by connectives or implicitly. The investigation aimed to determine if this variation affected students’ ability to comprehend the described situation and solve mathematical tasks based on the provided information. Initial results indicate that connectives do increase the rate of correct answers to comprehension questions, particularly for students with lower linguistic skills. Nevertheless, the use of connectives did not significantly influence mathematical task performance. This suggests that while connectives aid in understanding and organizing information, they may not contribute to students translating this advantage into improved mathematical task outcomes.

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INT ELECT J MATH ED, Volume 19, Issue 4, November 2024, Article No: em0791

https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/15080

Publication date: 01 Oct 2024

Online publication date: 05 Sep 2024

Article Views: 433

Article Downloads: 135

Open Access References How to cite this article