THE DEVELOPMENT OF, AND INTERACTION BETWEEN, INTUITIVE AND SCHOOL-TAUGHT IDEAS ABOUT PERCENT

The objective of this study was to determine how students' strategies for solving percent problems change over grades 5, 7, 9, and 11. The q uestions addressed included the following: What intuitive knowledge do students bring to the study of percent? Do students use this intuitiv e knowledge in solving percent problems? What processes do students us e to solve percent problems? Does choice of solution method differ aft er formal instruction on percent? The researcher employed a cross-sect ional research design whereby 31 students representing two ability lev els (middle and high) from grades 5, 7, 9, and 11 were interviewed. Th e responses were compared and contrasted by ability and grade level. T he 5th and 7th graders, who had little or no formal instruction on per cent, used a variety of strategies including benchmark, ratios, and fr actions, to solve percent problems. The 9th graders made extensive use of the school-taught equation strategy. The 11 th graders, who had be en away from formal instruction on percent for at least a year, also u sed the equation strategy extensively, but also employed a variety of other strategies and were more reflective in their choice of strategy.