Estratégias usadas por alunos do 9.º ano de escolaridade na resolução de problemas em Combinatória

Abstract

This paper aims at describing some results of an investigation about combinatorial reasoning’s pupils attending the 9th grade. Pupils were interviewed individually using a written protocol with 15 problems of Combinatorics, including the combinatorial operations of permutations, arrangements with and without repetition and combinations.

The results reveal that pupils applied, spontaneously, a set of systematic procedures in solving the problems, and emphasize a need to correct and to improve those strategies. Consequently, the results suggest the teaching of Combinatorics as a means to the pupils to acquire completely the combinatorial operations.