The Sixth-Grade Students’ Conceptualization of Angle
Yıl 2025,
Cilt: 42 Sayı: 3, 19 - 34, 31.12.2025
Fatma Acar
,
Habibe Toker Kekik
,
Nur Banu Duran
,
Mine Işıksal
Öz
This study investigated sixth-grade students' conceptualization of angles. A structured interview was implemented with eight students to examine how they verbally described angles, represented them in figures, and interpreted them in real-life contexts such as slope, turn, and openness. The findings revealed that students primarily understood angles through static components such as corners and intersection, consistent with the standard definition of angles. Only one student demonstrated a more comprehensive understanding by relating angles to slope and space contexts through reflective abstraction of the formal angle definition. Educational implications are discussed, highlighting that most students struggled to connect angles across different contexts, such as slope and turn, despite the inclusion of real-life examples and physical experiences in the primary school curriculum. Practical implications emphasize the importance of facilitating reflective abstraction through multiple representations and contexts of angles in classroom instruction.
Kaynakça
-
Battista, M. T. (2007). The development of geometric and spatial thinking. In F. K. Lester (Ed.), Second handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 843–908). Information Age.
-
Browning, C. A., Garza-Kling, G., & Sundling, E. H. (2008). What’s your angle on angles? Teaching Children Mathematics, 14(5), 283–287. https://doi.org/10.5951/TCM.14.5.0283
-
Bütüner, S. Ö., & Filiz, M. (2017) Exploring high-achieving sixth grade students’ erroneous answers and misconceptions on the angle concept. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 48(4), 533–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2016.1256444
-
Casas-Garcia, L.M., & Luengo-González, R. (2013). The study of the pupil’s cognitive structure: The concept of angle. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 28, 373–398. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-012-0119-4
-
Charmaz, K. (2005). Grounded theory in the 21st century: Applications for advancing social justice studies. In N. K. Denzin & Y. E. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed., pp. 507–535). Sage.
-
Clements, D. (2003). Teaching and learning geometry. In J. Kilpatrick, W. G. Martin, & D. Schifter (Eds.), A research companion to principles and standards for school mathematics (pp. 151–178). The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
-
Clements, D. H., & Battista, M. T. (1992). Geometry and spatial reasoning. In D. A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning: A project of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (pp. 420–464). Macmillan Publishing Co, Inc.
-
Clements, D. H., & Burns, B. A. (2000). Students’ development of strategies for turn and angle measure. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 41(1), 31–45. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3483059
-
Clements, D. H., Wilson, D. C., & Sarama, J. (2004). Young children's composition of geometric figures: A learning trajectory. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 6(2), 163–184. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327833mtl0602_5
-
Common Core State Standards Initiative: Preparing America’s Students for College and Career (2010). Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. https://learning.ccsso.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/11/Math_Standards1.pdf
-
Devichi, C., & Munier, V. (2013). About the concept of angle in elementary school: Misconceptions and teaching sequences. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 32(1), 1–19, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2012.10.001
-
Erbay, H. E. (2016). An investigation of the 6th grade students’ concept knowledge about angles. The Journal of Academic Social Science, 36, 704-718. http://dx.doi.org/10.16992/ASOS.11815
-
Kaur, H. (2020). Introducing the concept of angle to young children in a dynamic geometry environment. International Journal of Mathematics Education in Science and Technology, 51(2), 161–182. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2020.1717657
-
Keiser, J. M. (2000). The role of definition. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 5(8), 506–511. https://doi.org/10.5951/MTMS.5.8.0506
-
Keiser, J. M. (2004). Struggles with developing the concept of angle: Comparing sixth-grade students’ discourse to the history of the angle concept. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 6(3), 285–306. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327833mtl0603_2
-
Keiser, J. M., Klee, A., & Fitch, K. (2003). An assessment of students' understanding of angle. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 9(2), 116–119. https://doi.org/10.5951/MTMS.9.2.0116
-
Marjanovic, M. M. (2007). Didactical analysis of primary geometric concepts II. The Teaching of Mathematics, 10(1), 11–36. Available at http://eudml.org/doc/256881.
-
Mitchelmore, M. (1997). Children’s informal knowledge of physical angle situations. Learning and Instruction, 7, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0959-4752(96)00007-2
-
Mitchelmore, M.C. (1998). Young students’ concepts of turning and angle. Cognition and Instruction 16, 265–284. Available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/3233646
-
Mitchelmore, M. C., & White, P. (1995). Abstraction in mathematics: Conflict, resolution and application. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 7, 50–68. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03217275
-
Mitchelmore, M.C. & White, P. (1998). Development of angle concepts: A framework for research. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 10(3), 4–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03217055
-
Mitchelmore, M., & White, P. (2000). Development of angle concepts by progressive abstraction and generalization. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 41(3), 209–238. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003927811079
-
Mullins, S. B. (2020). Angling for the right result: Students’ conceptualizations of angles. Journal of Research in Education, 29(1), 1–47. Available at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1247259.pdf
-
Munier, V., Devichi, C., & Merle, H. (2008). A physical situation as a way to teach angle. Teaching Children Mathematics, 14(7), 402–407. https://doi.org/10.5951/TCM.14.7.0402
-
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM] (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. NCTM.
-
Ozen Unal, D. & Urun, O. (2021). Sixth grade students’ some difficulties and misconceptions on angle concept. Journal of Qualitative Research in Education, 27, 125–154. https://doi.org/10.14689/enad.27.7
-
Piaget, J. (2001). Studies in reflecting abstraction. Psychology Press.
-
Savin-Baden, M., & Major, C. (2013). Qualitative research: The essential guide to theory and practice. Routledge.
-
Smith, C. P., King, B., & Hoyte, J. (2014). Learning angles through movement: Critical actions for developing understanding in an embodied activity. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 36, 95–108. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2014.09.001.
-
Stavy, R., & Tirosh, D. (2000). How students (mis-)understand science and mathematics: Intuitive rules. Teachers College Press.
-
Tanguay, D., & Venant, F. (2016). The semiotic and conceptual genesis of angle. ZDM Mathematics Education 48, 875–894. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-016-0789-5
-
Tuluk, G. (2015). The evaluation of the concept maps created by future middle school mathematics teachers in regard to the concept of angle. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education, 6(2), 323–337.
-
Turkish Ministry of National Education [MoNE] (2018). Mathematics curriculum for elementary school education: Grades 1-8. Ankara. http://mufredat.meb.gov.tr/ProgramDetay.aspx?PID=329
-
Turkish Ministry of National Education [MoNE] (2024). Mathematics curriculum for middle school: Grades 1-4 and Grades 5-8. Ankara. https://mufredat.meb.gov.tr/
-
Van Hiele, P. M. (1985). The child’s thought and geometry. In D. Fuys, D. Geddes & R. Tischler (Eds.), English translation of selected writings of Dina van Hiele-Geldof and Pierre M. van Hiele, (pp. 243–252). ERIC/SMEAC.
-
Vinner, S. (2018). Mathematics, education, and other endangered species: From intuition to inhibition. Springer International Publishing.
-
Vinner, S., & Hershkowitz, R. (1980). Concept images and common cognitive paths in the development of some simple geometrical concepts. In R. Karplus (Ed.), Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 177–184). Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California.
-
Visher, G. N. (2020). An investigation of sixth-grade students’ conceptualization of angle and angle measure: A retrospective analysis of design research study of a real-world context (Publication No. 27832595) [Doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
-
von Glasersfeld, E. (1981) The concepts of adaptation and viability in a constructivist theory of knowledge. In Sigel I. E., Brodzinsky D. M., & Golinkoff R. M. (Eds.), Piagetian theory and research (87–95). Erlbaum.
-
von Glasersfeld, E. (1984). An introduction to radical constructivism. In Watzlawick, P. (Ed.), The invented reality (pp. 17–40). Norton.
-
von Glasersfeld, E. (1995). Radical constructivism: A way of knowing and learning. The Falmer Press.
-
von Glasersfeld, E. (1996) Aspects of radical constructivism and its educational recommendations. In L. Steffe, P. Nesher, P. Cobb, G.A. Goldin and B. Greer (Eds.) Theories of mathematical learning (pp. 307–314). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
-
Yigit, M. (2014). An examination of pre-service middle mathematics teachers’ conceptions of angles. The Mathematics Enthusiast, 11(3), 707–736. https://doi.org/10.54870/1551-3440.1322
-
Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods. Sage.
-
Zandieh, M., & Rasmussen, C. (2010). Defining as a mathematical activity: A framework for characterizing progress from informal to more formal ways of reasoning. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 29(2), 57–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2010.01.001
Altıncı Sınıf Öğrencilerinin Açı Kavramını Anlamlandırması
Yıl 2025,
Cilt: 42 Sayı: 3, 19 - 34, 31.12.2025
Fatma Acar
,
Habibe Toker Kekik
,
Nur Banu Duran
,
Mine Işıksal
Öz
Bu çalışmanın amacı altıncı sınıf öğrencilerinin açı kavramını nasıl anlamlandırdıklarını incelemektir. Bu amaçla, sekiz tane altıncı sınıf öğrencisiyle açı kavramını sözel olarak nasıl ifade ettikleri ve eğim, dönüş ve açıklık gibi gerçek yaşam bağlamlarında nasıl yorumladıklarını incelemek için birebir görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Bulgular, öğrencilerin açı tanımlamalarının çoğunlukla standart açı tanımında olduğu gibi köşe ve kesişim gibi açının statik bileşenlerini içerdiğini göstermiştir. Sadece bir öğrenci, standart açı tanımından yola çıkarak açıları eğim ve aralık bağlamlarıyla ilişkilendirerek daha kapsamlı bir anlayış sergilemiştir. İlköğretim müfredatında açı kavramının gerçek hayattan örneklerle ve fiziksel deneyimlerle yer almasına rağmen öğrencilerin çoğunun eğim ve dönme gibi farklı bağlamları açılarla ilişkilendirmekte zorlandığı bulgusu eğitimle ilgili çıkarımlar açısından tartışılmıştır. Ayrıca, açıların çoklu temsilleri ve bağlamlarının sınıf içinde soyutlamaya imkân vererek sunulmasının önemi vurgulanmaktadır.
Kaynakça
-
Battista, M. T. (2007). The development of geometric and spatial thinking. In F. K. Lester (Ed.), Second handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 843–908). Information Age.
-
Browning, C. A., Garza-Kling, G., & Sundling, E. H. (2008). What’s your angle on angles? Teaching Children Mathematics, 14(5), 283–287. https://doi.org/10.5951/TCM.14.5.0283
-
Bütüner, S. Ö., & Filiz, M. (2017) Exploring high-achieving sixth grade students’ erroneous answers and misconceptions on the angle concept. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 48(4), 533–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2016.1256444
-
Casas-Garcia, L.M., & Luengo-González, R. (2013). The study of the pupil’s cognitive structure: The concept of angle. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 28, 373–398. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-012-0119-4
-
Charmaz, K. (2005). Grounded theory in the 21st century: Applications for advancing social justice studies. In N. K. Denzin & Y. E. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed., pp. 507–535). Sage.
-
Clements, D. (2003). Teaching and learning geometry. In J. Kilpatrick, W. G. Martin, & D. Schifter (Eds.), A research companion to principles and standards for school mathematics (pp. 151–178). The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
-
Clements, D. H., & Battista, M. T. (1992). Geometry and spatial reasoning. In D. A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning: A project of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (pp. 420–464). Macmillan Publishing Co, Inc.
-
Clements, D. H., & Burns, B. A. (2000). Students’ development of strategies for turn and angle measure. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 41(1), 31–45. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3483059
-
Clements, D. H., Wilson, D. C., & Sarama, J. (2004). Young children's composition of geometric figures: A learning trajectory. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 6(2), 163–184. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327833mtl0602_5
-
Common Core State Standards Initiative: Preparing America’s Students for College and Career (2010). Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. https://learning.ccsso.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/11/Math_Standards1.pdf
-
Devichi, C., & Munier, V. (2013). About the concept of angle in elementary school: Misconceptions and teaching sequences. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 32(1), 1–19, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2012.10.001
-
Erbay, H. E. (2016). An investigation of the 6th grade students’ concept knowledge about angles. The Journal of Academic Social Science, 36, 704-718. http://dx.doi.org/10.16992/ASOS.11815
-
Kaur, H. (2020). Introducing the concept of angle to young children in a dynamic geometry environment. International Journal of Mathematics Education in Science and Technology, 51(2), 161–182. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2020.1717657
-
Keiser, J. M. (2000). The role of definition. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 5(8), 506–511. https://doi.org/10.5951/MTMS.5.8.0506
-
Keiser, J. M. (2004). Struggles with developing the concept of angle: Comparing sixth-grade students’ discourse to the history of the angle concept. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 6(3), 285–306. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327833mtl0603_2
-
Keiser, J. M., Klee, A., & Fitch, K. (2003). An assessment of students' understanding of angle. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 9(2), 116–119. https://doi.org/10.5951/MTMS.9.2.0116
-
Marjanovic, M. M. (2007). Didactical analysis of primary geometric concepts II. The Teaching of Mathematics, 10(1), 11–36. Available at http://eudml.org/doc/256881.
-
Mitchelmore, M. (1997). Children’s informal knowledge of physical angle situations. Learning and Instruction, 7, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0959-4752(96)00007-2
-
Mitchelmore, M.C. (1998). Young students’ concepts of turning and angle. Cognition and Instruction 16, 265–284. Available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/3233646
-
Mitchelmore, M. C., & White, P. (1995). Abstraction in mathematics: Conflict, resolution and application. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 7, 50–68. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03217275
-
Mitchelmore, M.C. & White, P. (1998). Development of angle concepts: A framework for research. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 10(3), 4–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03217055
-
Mitchelmore, M., & White, P. (2000). Development of angle concepts by progressive abstraction and generalization. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 41(3), 209–238. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003927811079
-
Mullins, S. B. (2020). Angling for the right result: Students’ conceptualizations of angles. Journal of Research in Education, 29(1), 1–47. Available at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1247259.pdf
-
Munier, V., Devichi, C., & Merle, H. (2008). A physical situation as a way to teach angle. Teaching Children Mathematics, 14(7), 402–407. https://doi.org/10.5951/TCM.14.7.0402
-
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM] (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. NCTM.
-
Ozen Unal, D. & Urun, O. (2021). Sixth grade students’ some difficulties and misconceptions on angle concept. Journal of Qualitative Research in Education, 27, 125–154. https://doi.org/10.14689/enad.27.7
-
Piaget, J. (2001). Studies in reflecting abstraction. Psychology Press.
-
Savin-Baden, M., & Major, C. (2013). Qualitative research: The essential guide to theory and practice. Routledge.
-
Smith, C. P., King, B., & Hoyte, J. (2014). Learning angles through movement: Critical actions for developing understanding in an embodied activity. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 36, 95–108. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2014.09.001.
-
Stavy, R., & Tirosh, D. (2000). How students (mis-)understand science and mathematics: Intuitive rules. Teachers College Press.
-
Tanguay, D., & Venant, F. (2016). The semiotic and conceptual genesis of angle. ZDM Mathematics Education 48, 875–894. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-016-0789-5
-
Tuluk, G. (2015). The evaluation of the concept maps created by future middle school mathematics teachers in regard to the concept of angle. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education, 6(2), 323–337.
-
Turkish Ministry of National Education [MoNE] (2018). Mathematics curriculum for elementary school education: Grades 1-8. Ankara. http://mufredat.meb.gov.tr/ProgramDetay.aspx?PID=329
-
Turkish Ministry of National Education [MoNE] (2024). Mathematics curriculum for middle school: Grades 1-4 and Grades 5-8. Ankara. https://mufredat.meb.gov.tr/
-
Van Hiele, P. M. (1985). The child’s thought and geometry. In D. Fuys, D. Geddes & R. Tischler (Eds.), English translation of selected writings of Dina van Hiele-Geldof and Pierre M. van Hiele, (pp. 243–252). ERIC/SMEAC.
-
Vinner, S. (2018). Mathematics, education, and other endangered species: From intuition to inhibition. Springer International Publishing.
-
Vinner, S., & Hershkowitz, R. (1980). Concept images and common cognitive paths in the development of some simple geometrical concepts. In R. Karplus (Ed.), Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 177–184). Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California.
-
Visher, G. N. (2020). An investigation of sixth-grade students’ conceptualization of angle and angle measure: A retrospective analysis of design research study of a real-world context (Publication No. 27832595) [Doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
-
von Glasersfeld, E. (1981) The concepts of adaptation and viability in a constructivist theory of knowledge. In Sigel I. E., Brodzinsky D. M., & Golinkoff R. M. (Eds.), Piagetian theory and research (87–95). Erlbaum.
-
von Glasersfeld, E. (1984). An introduction to radical constructivism. In Watzlawick, P. (Ed.), The invented reality (pp. 17–40). Norton.
-
von Glasersfeld, E. (1995). Radical constructivism: A way of knowing and learning. The Falmer Press.
-
von Glasersfeld, E. (1996) Aspects of radical constructivism and its educational recommendations. In L. Steffe, P. Nesher, P. Cobb, G.A. Goldin and B. Greer (Eds.) Theories of mathematical learning (pp. 307–314). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
-
Yigit, M. (2014). An examination of pre-service middle mathematics teachers’ conceptions of angles. The Mathematics Enthusiast, 11(3), 707–736. https://doi.org/10.54870/1551-3440.1322
-
Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods. Sage.
-
Zandieh, M., & Rasmussen, C. (2010). Defining as a mathematical activity: A framework for characterizing progress from informal to more formal ways of reasoning. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 29(2), 57–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2010.01.001