Introducing Word Problems to Early Mathematics Teaching

Tema ovog diplomskog rada je uvođenje tekstualnih zadataka u početnoj nastavi matematike. Istraživanjem koje je provedeno u pet prvih razreda jedne zagrebačke škole, željelo se pobliže proučiti literaturu vezanu za tekstualne zadatke te vidjeti kako izgleda nastavni proces ove nastavne teme koja često stvara probleme kod učitelja i učenika. U teorijskom dijelu ovog rada opisane su karakteristike različitih vrsta matematičkog zadatka, kao i pregled literature vezane uz tekstualni zadatak. Važan dio rada zauzela je problematika vezana za tekstualne zadatke, gdje se prikazuje koji su mogući uzroci (ne)uspjeha prilikom rješavanja takvih zadataka. Opservacije nastavnog sata fokusirane su na metodičke aktivnosti i faze rješavanja tekstualnih zadataka. Cilj je bio prikazati što se događa na satu uvođenja tekstualnih zadataka u prvom razredu, gdje se učenici po prvi puta susreću s rješavanjem takvih zadataka. Analizirana je svaka od faza rješavanja tekstualnih zadataka, a rezultati ukazuju na nedosljedno praćenje preporučenih faza rješavanja te učeničko nerazumijevanje nekih pojmova (npr. što znači nepoznato). Također, analizirane su i metodičke aktivnosti koje se odvijaju prije rješavanja, odnosno analiziran je pristup čitanja i pisanja teksta zadatka. Ovim radom pokazalo se da se kvalitativnim pristupom može doprinijeti razumijevanju problematike tekstualnih zadataka.The subject of this graduate thesis is the introduction of word problems to early mathematics teaching. The research, conducted in the five first grades at a school in Zagreb, was based on closely examining the process of teaching word problems and the scientific literature related to it, considering that teaching word problems often creates difficulties for teachers and students. The theoretical part of this paper describes the characteristics of each mathematical task and gives an overview of related scientific publications. An important part of the paper deals with issues related to word problems; it looks at the possible causes of students’ success or failure when solving such tasks. The research conducted in the classroom focused on methodological activities, phases of word problem solving, and associated theories which are described in detail. The aim was to show what goes on in the classroom during the introduction of word problems, when students try to solve them for the first time. Each phase was analyzed and the results show there is an inconsistent approach to following the recommended phases for word problem solving, as well as the students’ lack of understanding of the word “unknown”. Furthermore, the methodological activities that take place before solving the problem were analyzed as well, which include reading and writing word problems. To further explore this issue, this paper offers the comparison of the existing curriculum that has been in place since 2006, and the newly revised curriculum, which will be in place from September 2019 in a few schools. This paper also demonstrates that a qualitative research approach can contribute to further understanding the issues with teaching word problems in early mathematics