Abstract:
The purpose of the study is to perform a less-dimensional visualization process for the
purpose of determining the images of the students on the concept of number. The
Ward clustering analysis combined with the self-organizing map (SOM) was used for
this purpose. The conceptual understanding tool, which consisted of the open-ended
question “write the first ten things you remember when the term number is mentioned”
to the study group, which consisted of 212 fifth grade students. The analysis results
showed that students mostly explained the concept of number by associating with
mathematics and other sciences with the terms like “addition, subtraction, division,
multiplication, fraction, share, equation, cluster, angle, square, rectangle, plus, minus,
shape, operation, step, graphics, value, equal, equals”, which are related with
“operations-calculations” and “mathematical terms”. The students mostly established
relations with mathematical side of the number. At the end of the study, the dataset
obtained from the conceptual understanding tool was used for training the SOM, and
a visualization approach that revealed the images of the students on number concept
was recommended.
