Students' Understanding of Axial and Central Symmetry

Autor/inn/en	Moravcová, Vlasta; Robová, Jarmila; Hromadová, Jana; Halas, Zdenek
Titel	Students' Understanding of Axial and Central Symmetry
Quelle	In: Journal on Efficiency and Responsibility in Education and Science, 14 (2021) 1, S.28-40 (13 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2336-2375
Schlagwörter	Geometric Concepts; Plane Geometry; Foreign Countries; Cognitive Processes; Gender Differences; Institutional Characteristics; Misconceptions; Secondary School Students; College Students; Preservice Teachers; Czech Republic + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Elementare Geometrie; Planimetrie; Ausland; Cognitive process; Kognitiver Prozess; Geschlechterkonflikt; Missverständnis; Sekundarschüler; Collegestudent; Tschechische Republik
Abstract	The paper focuses on students' understanding of the concepts of axial and central symmetries in a plane. Attention is paid to whether students of various ages identify a non-model of an axially symmetrical figure, know that a line segment has two axes of symmetry and a circle has an infinite number of symmetry axes, and are able to construct an image of a given figure in central symmetry. The results presented here were obtained by a quantitative analysis of tests given to nearly 1,500 Czech students, including pre-service mathematics teachers. The paper presents the statistics of the students' answers, discusses the students' thought processes and presents some of the students' original solutions. The data obtained are also analysed with regard to gender differences and to the type of school that students attend. The results show that students have two principal misconceptions: that a rhomboid is an axially symmetrical figure and that a line segment has just one axis of symmetry. Moreover, many of the tested students confused axial and central symmetry. Finally, the possible causes of these errors are considered and recommendations for preventing these errors are given. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6 - Suchdol 165 00, Czech Republic. e-mail: editor@eriesjournal.com; Web site: https://www.eriesjournal.com/index.php/eries
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01