How do prospective primary teachers approach area conservation? An analysis based on intra-mathematical connections

Source abstract

This study examines the intra-mathematical connections evidenced in groups of prospective primary school teachers’ written productions when solving and justifying an area-conservation task comprising an initial task and follow-up questions. A mixed-methods design combined qualitative content analysis with exploratory co-occurrence and clustering analyses. Procedure and justification were among the most frequent connections identified, whereas equivalent procedure and alternate representation appeared less frequently, particularly in the follow-up questions. A cluster map and cross-specification sensitivity analysis showed that some similarities among groups recurred across retained alternative specifications, whereas broader grouping boundaries were more sensitive to methodological choices. Overall, the findings indicate that area conservation was expressed through different combinations of mathematical objects and connection types, highlighting the complexity of justification and the potential of such tasks for teacher education.