Designing a research-based detection test for eliciting students’ prior understanding on proportional reasoning

Abstract

In the Swedish Prison Education Program only two out of ten reach a passing grade in their mathematics courses. Large variation in prior knowledge makes it difficult to meet the students at their level. This paper reports on a project aiming to enhance students’ possibilities to access mathematics through individualization. Research findings on the development of the pervasive mathematical idea of proportional reasoning are used to construct a test on proportional reasoning, designed to work specifically with students with large variation in prior knowledge. The test presented here, combined with a follow-up clinical interview, can be used in adult education in general as a basis for individualizing instruction.