Strategies Used by Young Children in Rectangular Area Measurement Tasks

아동의 사각형 면적 측정 전략에 관한 연구

In this study of strategies used by young children in solving rectangular covering tasks before they have been taught area measurement, 75 5-, 6-, and 7-year-old children were asked to solve 3 rectangular covering tasks with a moveable unit. Three different sized units (4 cm., 2 cm., and 1 cm. cardboard squares) were provided and the children were asked to work out how many would be needed to cover a drawn rectangle. The resulting 5 developmental levels include incomplete covering, incomplete arrangement, complete covering, estimating, and measuring. Children using more advanced strategies were able to find correct number of units. While the tendency among older children was to use more advanced strategies, even 5-year-olds had an intuitive understanding of rectangular area measurement.