Diagram processing procedures

The purpose of this study was to determine and describe the procedures used by students in French secondary schools (normal age ranging from eleven to fifteen years). In order to relate measures represented in graphic form to measures given in numerical form, these students were found to implement procedures suited to multiplicative problem solving involving isomorphism of measures. But other more specific procedures — both qualitative and quantitative — were also employed, most likely due to the graphic nature of the task. Moreover, a high degree of variability in procedure selection was observed. This variability is a reflection of the fact that in addition to operational devices specific to problem solving, these children also have at their disposal decision-making rules that partially depend on task content.