Additive Conceptual Field: a study on elementary school teachers

Abstract This article discusses the results of a doctoral thesis entitled: “The teaching of additive structures among elementary school teachers.” It aims to identify and understand the contributions associated with the undertaking of a study of the Additive Conceptual Field in mathematics learning of elementary school teachers who participated in a discussion group. The research adopted a broadly qualitative approach, in which quantitative data was also considered. The analyses were based on the resolutions of problems administered to students, problems produced by teachers and those drawn from mathematics textbooks used in the school, as well as data collected during group discussions. The results indicate that, during the study, the teachers amplified their perspectives on the nature of problems associated with the additive field, producing a balanced quantity of problems in the categories: composition, transformation, and comparison.