PROPORTIONAL REASONING IN YOUNG-CHILDREN - THE PARTS AND THE WHOLE OFIT

Evidence concerning intuitive foundations for fraction learning was ob tained in a study of early developments in proportional reasoning. Chi ldren aged 5 to 7 years (kindergarten to 2nd grade) were given problem s constructed so as to differentiate between reasoning based on the re lations of a part to the whole versus reasoning based on relations bet ween one part and another. The participants were able to use part-whol e relations to compare proportions by 7 years of age. In addition, a d evelopmental shift toward increasing reliance on part-whole reasoning was observed in children's responses to conflict problems that pitted part-whole and part-part matches against each other.