Processos cognitivos e resolução de problemas em alunos com elevado raciocínio numérico: diferenças entre alunos de maior e menos rendimento escolar

Abstract

Academic achievement in the discipline of mathematics gives the tone to reflect on the cognitive processes involved in problem solving proposed by Polya (1981). Thus, we discuss the differences
in cognitive processes between students with higher and lower performance in the discipline of mathematics in problem-solving tasks in mathematics. The study involved 30 students from sixth grade students who were above the 90th percentile in psychological testing of numerical reasoning. These 30 students were divided into two distinct groups in academic performance, with a higher yield (students at level 4 or 5 in Mathematics) and one with the lowest income (students at level 2 or 3). The hypotheses under consideration seek to identify differences in cognitive processes mobilized by these two groups of students, although similar in terms of numerical reasoning, distinguished themselves in their academic performance in the discipline of mathematics. The results indicate statistically significant differences in cognitive processes drawing, resolution (itself) and verification. When we analyzed the relationship between processes it was found that also here differences appeared. In the group of higher performance the cognitive process that most explained the resolution was the verification process while in the lowest income group was planning.