The selections and differences in mathematical problem-posing strategies of junior high school students

Abstract

To illustrate the selections and differences in mathematical problem-posing (MPP) strategies of junior high school students, this study constructs a theoretical framework for mathematical problem-posing strategies and then conducts an empirical study through a survey of 1653 Chinese junior high school students. The results show that students prioritize accepting the given information to pose mathematical problems, while few choose to change the given information. Most students used chaining, and very few students used symmetry to pose mathematical problems. From a developmental perspective, excluding the number of problems, there were grade differences in the selectivity of MPP strategies among students in grades 7, 8, and 9. Still, for each grade, accepting the given information and chaining were the most used strategies in the category therein. More than 77.56% (1282 students) chose category B to pose further mathematical problems after accepting or changing the given information to pose mathematical problems. The results of path analysis illustrate that there are two main routes of the evolution of the selections of the strategies of MPP of junior high school students: the first one is from category A to category B, and the second one is after the students use changing the given information, they are present with the selection of strategies, either use symmetry or chaining. The results may have important implications for the teaching and learning of problem-posing.