Concept Mapping to Measure Mathematical Experts’ Number Sense

The purpose of this study is to test whether concept mapping can be used for measuring the levels of number sense and use it to measure the mathematical experts’ level of number sense. The sample included 39 undergraduate and post-graduate students of Departments of Mathematics in Greece. A pencil and paper test was administered to test the level of number sense in different mathematical domains. Additionally, the participants were asked to create a concept map with as the central term. The results showed low levels of number sense with the majority of the participants responded in the number sense test by applying rules and algorithms rather than more holistic approaches that would indicate higher levels of number sense. Additionally, participants’ performance in concept mapping was strongly related to their performance in the number sense test. Specifically, participants with low number sense scores tended to present poor concept maps.