Levels of Sophistication in Elementary Students’ Understanding of Polygon Concept and Polygons Classes

Melania Bernabeu, Salvador Llinares and Mar Moreno
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Melania Bernabeu: Department of Innovation and Didactic Training, University of Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
Salvador Llinares: Department of Innovation and Didactic Training, University of Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
Mar Moreno: Department of Innovation and Didactic Training, University of Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain

Mathematics, 2021, vol. 9, issue 16, 1-20

Abstract: This paper reports sophistication levels in third grade children’s understanding of polygon concept and polygon classes. We consider how children endow mathematical meaning to parts of figures and reason to identify relationships between polygons. We describe four levels of sophistication in children’s thinking as they consider a figure as an example of a polygon class through spatial structuring (the mental operation of building an organization for a set of figures). These levels are: (i) partial structuring of polygon concept; (ii) global structuring of polygon concept; (iii) partial structuring of polygon classes; and (iv) global structuring of polygon classes. These levels detail how cognitive apprehensions, dimensional deconstruction, and the use of mathematical language intervene in the mental process of spatial structuring in the understanding of the classes of polygons.

Keywords: geometrical thinking; levels of sophistication; polygon concept; polygon classes; elementary education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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