Investigation of number sense strategies used by fifth grade students about fractions

The purpose of this study is to determine the fraction number sense performance levels of fifth grade students; to reveal how fraction number sense performances differ according to gender, preschool education, parental education status, Turkish and Mathematics course report card grade, and number sense components; and to examine the number sense strategies used by students in fraction problems. The participants of the study, in which a sequential explanatory mixed research design was used, were fifth grade students studying in a public school in Kütahya province. The "5th Grade Fraction Number Sense Test" and "Interview Form" were used as data collection tools in the study. Descriptive statistics techniques, independent groups t-test, ANOVA and content analysis were used in data analysis. As a result of the research, the students' fractional number sense performance was low and did not differ significantly according to gender. In addition, the students who received pre-school education and had high Turkish and mathematics report card grades had higher fractional number sense performance levels. On the other hand, the fractional number sense performances of the students whose mothers and fathers were university graduates were higher than those of the students whose mothers were primary school, secondary school, and high school graduates. Moreoever, the fractional number sense was used most in questions regarding the "understanding the meanings and magnitudes of numbers" and least in questions regarding the "mental calculation and counting strategies" component. The interviews further revealed a lack of flexible problem-solving strategies among the students, who struggled to identify concise and efficient solutions.