Emergence of 3rd Grade Students' Perceptions of Fractions Through the Cover-Uncover Fraction Game

Abstract

This study explores the strategies employed by twelve third-grade students (aged 8) during the development and implementation of the Cover-Uncover Fraction Game and examines how these strategies relate to their perceptions of fractions. Observational, structured, non-participant, research was used to record students’ strategies. The results showed that the students demonstrated varied levels of application of fractional equivalencies and substitution strategies during the game. Through the game's development and implementation, it became clear that all students were able to perceive the fractions as parts of a whole. Half of the students recognized fractions as quotients. One-third grasped fractions as a form of measurement. One-sixth of the students identified fractions as ratios. None of them interpreted fractions as operators. These findings suggest that the development and implementation process of the game could offer insights into how students interpret various dimensions of fractions, providing teachers with valuable information to design more effective instructional practices that address their students' specific needs. It could also provide useful background for future studies of the game's efficacy to improve students fraction learning or as an assessment of students’ fraction knowledge.