Priming students to calculate inhibits sense-making
Year
2021
Volume 22
Issue 1
Pages
41-70
Authors
Alyssa P. Lawson , Brittany Ayala , Ji Y. Son
Abstract
Many students who struggle with math believe that doing math is remembering a rigid set of rules and procedures (Givvin et al.,
2011). This may be the cause or consequence of students applying procedures without reasoning, or using buggy algorithms (Brown
& Burton, 1977). If students tried to make sense of a problem, they may be able to reduce their use of buggy algorithms, but
if students try to carry out procedures without reasoning, their inappropriate use of algorithms might increase. We examined this
conjecture by first priming students to implement a procedure then asking them to solve a problem that required sense-making.
Results indicated that when primed to use procedures to calculate, students stop engaging in sense-making and rely on recalling
procedures.
Many students who struggle with math believe that doing math is remembering a rigid set of rules and procedures (Givvin et al.,
2011). This may be the cause or consequence of students applying procedures without reasoning, or using buggy algorithms (Brown
& Burton, 1977). If students tried to make sense of a problem, they may be able to reduce their use of buggy algorithms, but
if students try to carry out procedures without reasoning, their inappropriate use of algorithms might increase. We examined this
conjecture by first priming students to implement a procedure then asking them to solve a problem that required sense-making.
Results indicated that when primed to use procedures to calculate, students stop engaging in sense-making and rely on recalling
procedures.