Abstract:

This study examined if middle school students were able to differentiate proportional and non-proportional situations, and whether the use of integer or non-integer ratios in proportional and non-proportional problems affected students’ solution strategies. The analyses showed that students’ success rates among the mentioned problem types significantly differed. They also tended to prefer the proportional solution method in non-proportional situations. In addition, in non-proportional problems, use of non-integer ratios evoked additive strategies while students preferred proportional solution methods in problems with integer ratios. However, contrary to the findings reported in the literature, students’ use of erroneous strategies was not significantly affected by the use of integer or non-integer ratios in proportional problems.

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