Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education

Watch Those Studs! How Prior Domain Knowledge and Extraneous Details on LEGOâ Bricks Influence Children’s Fraction Division

Alison Tellos 1 * ,
Helena P. Osana 1
1 Concordia University* Corresponding Author
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Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, Volume 8, Issue SI, June 2025, pp. 241-262
OPEN ACCESS VIEWS: 225 DOWNLOADS: 84 Publication date: 15 Jun 2025
ABSTRACT
The primary aim of the present study was to examine whether extraneous details on LEGOâ bricks prompted inappropriate counting strategies and impacted performance accuracy when solving fraction division problems. The secondary aim was to investigate whether prior domain knowledge of fractions concepts influenced the extent to which the extraneous details on the bricks affected children’s problem-solving performance. Thirty-eight fifth- and sixth-grade students (N = 38) participated in the study. A fractions test was used to classify students into low (n = 19) and high prior knowledge (n = 19) groups. Then, all participants watched an instructional lesson that showed them how to represent fractions with LEGO bricks and how to solve fraction division problems using measurement division with the bricks. The participants then completed a learning task and a second task designed to assess whether extraneous details on LEGO bricks influenced their problem-solving performance. The results revealed that the extraneous details on LEGO bricks prompted some students to use inappropriate counting strategies, but prior knowledge did not explain the attention to extraneous details. In contrast, prior knowledge accounted for the variance in performance accuracy and the types of errors committed. Specifically, children with low prior knowledge made more errors choosing the correct bricks to represent the dividend fractions, which resulted in a larger number of inaccurate solutions compared to children with high prior knowledge.
KEYWORDS
Extraneous details, Fraction division, Prior domain knowledge, Visual representations
CITATION (APA)
Tellos, A., & Osana, H. P. (2025). Watch Those Studs! How Prior Domain Knowledge and Extraneous Details on LEGOâ Bricks Influence Children’s Fraction Division. Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 8(SI), 241-262. https://doi.org/10.31756/jrsmte.4110SI
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