An Analysis on Elementary Students' Measuring Abilities by Using a Microgenetic Method

미시발생학적 방법을 이용한 초등학생의 측정 능력 분석

The purpose of this study was to analyze the measuring abilities of elementary school students by using a microgenetic method. The participants were seven elementary students in the fourth grade. To analyze their measuring abilities, students attended three physical quantities measuring tasks such as length, volume, and time task by six times. Results were as follows. First, in the measuring length task, students selected appropriate measuring instruments but they didn't consider measuring amounts. And as their measuring experience increased, they desirably improved management abilities of measuring instruments. In the measuring volume task, they dealed with measuring instruments, but not very well. And these tendency were maintained. In the measuring time task, they were not measure exactly. Second, as their measuring experience increased, their ability to read the scale marks improved. However, they had difficulties in estimating the volume between scale marks. Results indicate that, elementary students need to basic education about measuring instruments, their usage, and scale reading ability for their science experiment courses in schools.