Effectiveness of Fermi Problem Approach in Enhancing Seventh-Grade Students’ Measurement Estimation Skills

Abstract

This study was conducted to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of the Fermi problem approach in enhancing measurement estimation skills in mathematics. Employing an action research design, 24 seventh-grade students (13 girls and 11 boys) from a southern Turkish middle school were selected using criterion sampling. Quantitative data were gathered through a Measurement Estimation Skill Readiness Test and tasks based on the Fermi problem approach, complemented by qualitative insights from student reflective diaries. The 10-week action research study consisted of three cycles, each focusing on different aspects of measurement estimation: length, area, and volume in the first cycle; liquid measurement and volume in the second cycle; and weight estimation with Fermi problems in the third cycle. The findings highlighted the effectiveness of the Fermi problem approach in enhancing the measurement estimation skills of seventh-grade students. The research findings suggest that incorporating Fermi problems into the problem-solving process in instructional programs may offer significant contributions in providing a different perspective on the development of students’ measurement estimation skills.