Improving Mathematical Modelling by Fostering Measurement Sense: An Intervention Study with Pre-service Mathematics Teachers

Working on mathematical modelling tasks often requires knowledge about different inner-mathematical content of everyday mathematics. It is especially the ability to handle quantities – that is mainly: having a feeling for units of measurement (measurement sense) – being needed to work on modelling tasks successfully. There is nothing known about how modelling competency and measurement sense align. To remedy this, an intervention study with pre-post test design has been conducted focusing on: “Is it possible to improve pre-service teachers’ modelling performances by fostering measurement sense?” Forty-eight pre-service teachers out of an experimental group have been trained in measurement sense regarding the quantities, length and area. Another 45 pre-service teachers have been part of a control group. Analysis of pre-service teachers’ performances on a modelling-test at the end of the intervention study revealed that pre-service teachers in the experimental group outperformed their counterparts in the control group.