Semantic domains of rational numbers and the acquisition of fraction equivalence

This study examined how thr semantic meanings of rational numbers embodied in graphical representations pose a constraint on children's construction o f the concept of fraction equivalence. A test consisting of graphical repre sentations representing the part-whole and measuring semantic meaning was g iven to 205 fifth-graders and 208 sixth-graders from China. Results showed that the fifth-graders' overall performance on equivalent fraction items wa s poor across the semantic domains of rational numbers. The sixth-graders s howed significantly improved performance on the equivalent fraction items r epresenting the part-whole relation but not on those representing the measu re aspect of rational number. The results provide evidence that semantic me anings of fractional numbers in different relevant contexts also constitute a source of difficulty in children's constructing the concept of fr action equivalence, in addition to the multiplicative nature of the concept. (C) 2001 Academic Press.