Open AccessYear 7 Students’ Interpretation of Letters and Symbols in Solving Routine Algebraic Problems
Author(s) -
Madihah Khalid,
Faeizah Yakop,
Hasniza Ibrahim
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4062
Subject(s) - sign (mathematics) , mathematics education , interpretation (philosophy) , algebraic expression , algebraic number , test (biology) , pencil (optics) , value (mathematics) , equating , mathematics , algebra over a field , psychology , computer science , pure mathematics , statistics , mechanical engineering , mathematical analysis , paleontology , biology , engineering , rasch model , programming language
In this study we focused on one of the recurring issues in the learning of mathematics, which is students’ errors and misconceptions in learning algebra. We investigated Year 7 students on how they manipulate and interpret letters in solving routine algebraic problems to understand their thinking process. This is a case study of qualitative nature, focusing on one pencil and paper test, observation, and in-depth interviews of students in one particular school in Brunei Darussalam. The themes that emerged from interviews based on the test showed students’ interpretation of letters categorized as “combining” - which involved the combining of numbers during addition, “equating a letter as 1” – where a letter in any algebraic expression is considered to be equal to 1, “misconception of equal sign” – where students see equal sign as taking the value or letter which is closest to the equal sign, “inconsistency with own rule” – where students made up their own misguided rules but utilize other rules for similar situation and finally, “seeing letters as an abbreviations for objects” – where students consider the letters as representing objects.