Problem modification as a tool for detecting cognitive flexibility in school children |
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Authors: | Cristian Voica Florence Mihaela Singer |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Mathematics, University of Bucharest, 14 Academiei Str., 010014, Bucharest, Romania 2. Department of Education, University of Ploiesti, and Institute for Educational Sciences, 37 StirbeiVoda Str., 010102, Bucharest, Romania
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Abstract: | This paper presents the results of an experiment in which fourth to sixth graders with above-average mathematical abilities modified a given problem. The experiment found evidence of links between problem posing and cognitive flexibility. Emerging from organizational theory, cognitive flexibility is conceptualized through three primary constructs: cognitive variety, cognitive novelty, and changes in cognitive framing. Among these components, changes in cognitive framing could be effectively detected in problem-posing situations, giving a relevant indication of students’ creative potential. The students’ capacity to generate coherent and consistent problems in the context of problem modification may indicate the existence of a strategy of functional type for generalizations, which seems to be specific to mathematical creativity. |
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