Dificuldades apresentadas por estudantes do 7° ano nas resoluções de adição e subtração com números inteiros

Abstract

In this research, we present a teaching proposal for additive situations, grounded in Vergnaud's Theory of Conceptual Fields (TCF) (2009). The study aimed to identify the difficulties faced by 7th-grade elementary school students in solving problem situations involving the addition and subtraction of integers. The teaching intervention was conducted with 7th-grade students from a state school in the municipality of Itabaiana, SE, Brazil. We adopted a qualitative approach. Data collection involved two applications of an instrument containing problems related to additive situations within the set of integers, as well as audio and video recordings made during the eleven lessons conducted with the class. The results provided evidence that the use of material resources, such as colored cards and number lines, can support the learning of addition and subtraction operations with integers. Additionally, the main difficulties encountered in solving the problems were: random numbers; problem interpretation, graph interpretation, lack of attention, lack of the number sign, lack of knowledge about integers. Despite the initial challenges in interpreting the problems, a comparison of the results from the first and second applications of the instrument revealed an improvement in the students' performance.