THE EFFECTS OF DISCOVERY-BASED LEARNING OF DIFFERENTIATED ALGEBRA CONTENT ON THE LONG-TERM KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS IN EARLY MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

Abstract

One of the essential characteristics of knowledge that determines its quality is its durability. The durability of students' knowledge depends, among other things, on the quality of organization and implementation of teaching in the process of acquiring new knowledge, as well as reviewing and repeating old knowledge. More specifically, the durability of students' knowledge depends on the applied methodological approach and the students' activities in the classroom. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of discovery-based learning on differentiated algebra content on the long-term knowledge of students in early mathematics education. To achieve this goal, an experiment was conducted with parallel groups consisting of a sample of 261 fourth-grade students from primary schools. The experiment aimed to investigate whether the methodological approach to algebra instruction based on the principles of discovery learning and content differentiation yields better effects on the durability of students' knowledge compared to traditional learning methods. The results of the research showed that discovery-based learning on differentiated algebra content contributes to better knowledge durability overall and at each of the three achievement levels (basic, intermediate, and advanced).