Using open-ended questions for the enhancement of student's conceptual understanding

• Main Author: Pangilinan, Carlos Asuncion, Jr.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2001
• Subjects: Word problems (Mathematics); Mathematics > Examinations; Questions and answers; Mathematical ability; Algebra; Students > Rating of; Ability > Testing; Mathematics
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/2530
• Institution: De La Salle University

The study determines the effect of using open-ended questions to enhance student's conceptual understanding.A class of 15 students taking up college algebra at AMA Computer University was chosen as subjects for the study. The researcher focused on students' written responses to open-ended questions in their activity sheets while they are solving problems in Linear Equations in One Variable to build the students' prior knowledge. Here, the students were not shown how to solve problems. Instead they were given time to think of different solutions.In the process, students were able to communicate their ideas well while their teacher was able to assess their mathematical understanding. Instruction was designed in such a way that mathematical skills of students were built on their existing knowledge and mathematical understanding.This research shows that the level of performance of the students in algebra based on their responses in the open-ended activity sheets improved minimally from the first to the last. Out of the 15 participants, two improved two step level of competence from level 1 of novice understanding to level 3 of transitional understanding 10 participants improved one step level of competence from level 5 to level 6 of expert understanding and three participants remained in the same level, one participant at level 4 of transitional understanding and the other two at level 1 of novice understanding from the first to the fifth open-ended activity sheet. This paper also shows that the integration of Open-ended Questions with the Instruction-Assessment-Scoring Cycle in the classroom enhances students' conceptual understanding.