ERIC Number: EJ1329637
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-5984
EISSN: N/A
Student Conceptions of the Equal Sign: Knowledge Trajectories across the Elementary Grades
Ralston, Nicole; Li, Min
Elementary School Journal, v122 n3 p411-432 Mar 2022
Research in the area of equivalence and the equal sign dates back decades, demonstrating students often possess misconceptions concerning the meaning of equivalence and the equal sign. Students often understand the equal sign to mean the answer comes next (i.e., an operational definition) instead of the same as (i.e., a relational definition). However, very few, if any, of these studies utilized random samples or large sample sizes, or collected data across all elementary grades to better understand these issues. The purpose of this study was to therefore replicate earlier work to better understand student equivalence knowledge using a large (n = 1,745) random stratified cluster sample of elementary students across grades 1-5. The results corroborated the findings of other researchers, determining that few students hold relational views of the equal sign, many students exhibit various misconceptions when solving equivalence items, and knowledge primarily improves across the elementary grades.
Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Knowledge Level, Symbols (Mathematics), Misconceptions, Mathematical Concepts, Elementary School Mathematics
University of Chicago Press. Journals Division, P.O. Box 37005, Chicago, IL 60637. Tel: 877-705-1878; Tel: 773-753-3347; Fax: 877-705-1879; Fax: 773-753-0811; e-mail: subscriptions@press.uchicago.edu; Web site: http://www.press.uchicago.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A