Students’ procedural and conceptual Fraction knowledge based on cognitive style

Abstract

Recent research on children’s procedural conceptual knowledge has suggested that there are individual differences. Some children have more conceptual knowledge, some children have more procedural knowledge, and some children have an equal level of both. In this study we compared and investigated individual differences knowledge of procedural and conceptual fraction among cognitive style of seventh (n=40) graders in Surabaya, East Java. Data collection in three sessions; all participants answered the same tasks. In the first session, students completed the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) in 12 minutes to investigate their cognitive style (Field Dependence cognitive (FD) or Field Independence cognitive (FI) styles). In the second session, students completed three written measures (procedural and conceptual fraction knowledge test in 45 minutes) individually in a classroom. In the third session, students were individually interviewed for approximately 30 minutes. They answered questions on how they would solve fraction tasks. Students of the FI group performed significantly better than the FD group, on a measuring fraction and estimating number line. Overall, these results provide a more detailed picture of individual differences in procedural and conceptual knowledge in cognitive style.