The predictive role of different reasoning forms to students’ early algebraic thinking abilities.
Date
2018Publisher
PMEPlace of publication
Umeå, SwedenSource
Proceedings of the 42nd Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, At Umeå, SwedenVolume
2Pages
235-242Google Scholar check
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The development of early algebraic thinking has become a goal for many curricula, yet important questions remain regarding the nature of students’ early algebraic thinking. This study aims to clarify the relationship between early algebraic thinking and different reasoning forms. To this end, 9, 10, 11, and 12-year-old students were tested in three tests: (i) an algebraic thinking test which involved a range of early algebraic tasks, (ii) the Naglieri Non-Verbal Ability Test (NNAT) which allows the examination of analogical reasoning, inductive reasoning, and spatial reasoning, and (iii) a deductive reasoning test. The quantitative analysis of the data yielded insights into the predictive role of different reasoning forms on students’ early algebraic thinking abilities in the age groups under investigation.