Compreensão da linguagem matemática por alunos do 9º ano do ensino fundamental

Abstract

The following research "Comprehension of Mathematic Language by 9° grade students of the primary School" is connected to the research program "Science Education and Mathematic Education" by the Educational Post-Graduation School of Mato Grosso Federal College - UFMT/ Campus Cuiabá. The purpose of this work is to analyze the comprehension of the mathematic language by the students from the 9° grade of primary school. With that in mind, it tries to answer the following research problem: what are the possible causes of the mathematic language comprehension difficulty by the students of the 9° grade of primary School? It’s primary objective is: investigate the causes of the mathematic language comprehension difficulty presented by the students in the school class activities. And more, to answer the following specific objectives: 1) Analyze the pedagogy methods put forth by the teachers in the mathematic teaching process. 2) Analyze the difficulties showed by the students in the activities of mathematics lessons; 3) Analyze the complications in the non-comprehension of the mathematic language in the learning process of mathematic teaching in the school. This research is guided by the theory of Vygotsky in search for the understanding of the relation between thought and language; in the Machado perspective (2011) and Granell (1999) to treat the mother language involvement with mathematics. Takes off from the premise that the comprehension of the mathematic language collaborate in the process to learn mathematics. It uses the approach of qualitative research and the interpretative method to analyze how the students comprehend the mathematic language. Participative observation, semistructured interview, field report and students class material were the instruments used for this analyses. The subjects of this research will be students from the 9° grade of primary school and their mathematic teachers, in two Mato Grosso public (state) schools. The data collected presents the following results: the students presents difficulties in learning the mathematic language; the researched students shows little understanding of the subject. The translation trough the mother language is the method utilized by the teachers to transmit the meaning of the mathematic terms. The symbols put forth in the process of translation are not appropriate for the students familiarization with the mathematic language. The pedagogy practice restrains the process of development in the comprehension of mathematics. On this matter, the analyses pavements a interesting path for discussions related to the difficulties in the comprehension of the mathematic language and it’s relation with the mathematic learning; and what types of pedagogy practice can support for the comprehension of the subjected language of this analyses and thereafter with the mathematic learning.