Dissertation: Flexible mathematical thinking supports problem solving both individually and in groups (Skyttä)

The mathematical skills of primary school students and their development are a topic of discussion among Finns. The topic is important from the perspective of both curriculum development and social participation. Salla Skyttä’s doctoral dissertation emphasizes the need to develop teaching that supports students’ diverse arithmetic skills and mathematical creativity.

In her dissertation, she examines the significance of adaptive number knowledge in collaborative problem solving among primary school students. Adaptive number knowledge refers to a student’s ability to use numbers and operations in a versatile and situation-specific manner. In other words, students are able to recognize connections between numbers and operations and use them skillfully in arithmetic tasks. The dissertation examined how this ability affects the recognition of patterns in situations where mathematics is not explicitly highlighted. In the dissertation data, students worked in small groups in a digital learning environment, where they learned how to use a seesaw and tried to figure out the rule for balancing it. 

The results show that adaptive number knowledge develops with age, but at the same time, differences in proficiency levels increase among students of the same age. In addition, it was found that students with high adaptive number knowledge formed more generalizable and mathematically justified balance rules and paid more attention to the ideas presented by others during group work.  

The dissertation highlights how flexible mathematical thinking also helps in situations where mathematical connections are not obvious. The study examines for the first time the significance of adaptive number knowledge in real-life problem-solving situations. Flexible and creative number processing skills appear to be central not only to individual reasoning but also to collaborative problem solving.  

The public defense of FM Salla Skyttä’s doctoral dissertation in education (teacher education), Understanding the Role of Adaptive Number Knowledge in Primary School Students' Collaborative Balance Rule Generation, will be held on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 12:00 o’clock noon at the University of Jyväskylä, in building Seminarium, auditorium S212. The opponent will be Professor Jake McMullen (University of Turku) and the custos will be University Lecturer Markus Hähkiöniemi. The language of the defense is English.

The dissertation can be read at https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-86-0805-9