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    • COUNTEREXAMPLES: CHALLENGES FACED BY ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WHEN TESTING A CONJECTURE ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERIMETER AND AREA | Widjaja | Journal on Mathematics Education

    COUNTEREXAMPLES: CHALLENGES FACED BY ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WHEN TESTING A CONJECTURE ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERIMETER AND AREA

    Wanty Widjaja, Colleen Vale

    Abstract


    One pedagogical approach to challenge a persistent misconception is to get students to test a conjecture whereby they are confronted with the misconception. A common misconception about a ‘direct linear relationship’ between area and perimeter is well-documented. In this study, Year 4-6 students were presented with a conjecture that a rectangle with a larger perimeter will always have a larger area. Eighty-two (82) students’ written responses from three elementary schools in Victoria, Australia were analyzed. The findings revealed that Year 4-6 students could find multiple examples to support the conjecture but they struggled to find counterexamples to refute the conjecture. The findings underscored the importance of developing elementary school students’ capacity to construct counterexamples and recognize that it is sufficient to offer one counterexample in refuting a conjecture about all cases. Implications for ­teaching practice to support investigating and testing a conjecture are discussed.

    Keywords


    Counterexamples; Conjectures; Perimeter; Area; Elementary Students; Justifying

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    References


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    DOI: https://doi.org/10.22342/jme.12.3.14526.487-506

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    Journal on Mathematics Education
    Doctoral Program on Mathematics Education
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