Mathematical Reasoning Activity: Compare, Generalize and Justify

The significance of mathematical reasoning skills is often highlighted in national and international curricula. In recent years, the process aspect of mathematical reasoning has been examined through comparison, generalization, and justification. Emphasizing these process abilities is crucial for creating learning settings that develop mathematical thinking and enhance teacher's understanding. This study assessed middle school students' comparation, generalization, and justification within reasoning activities. The participants were 27 sixth-grade students engaged in a mathematical reasoning workshop. The research data were gathered via a reasoning activity including three open-ended sub-problems addressed by the students. The data were analyzed using content analysis. The results showed that middle school students were capable of comparison, although they had difficulties in generalization and justification. Upon comprehensive evaluation, it was concluded that the number of students who completed these three steps cohesively was considerably low.