Student-Generated Conjecture about the Behavior of the Operations: Four Dimensions Supporting a Structural Understanding of Arithmetic

Through analysis of 108 interviews of students in grades 2 to 5, the research team created a framework consisting of four mathematical dimensions students engage with as they formulate a conjecture about a behavior of an operation. The four dimensions are: attending to the action of the operation, identifying which elements change and how, expressing conditionality, and considering the generality of the claim. This article describes and illustrates what student conjecturing looks like with respect to these dimensions. The framework provides a lens for researchers and practitioners to identify significant aspects of student-generated conjectures as students work to articulate their ideas.