Algebraic thinking of secondary-one students in Hong Kong: a case study

Abstract

The research aimed to trace the development of students' algebraic thinking in a context related to the distributive law in the ordinary Hong Kong classroom environment. 40 Hong Kong secondary-one students (aged 12-13) from a local school of average standard participated in the study in 1994. The students were followed up throughout the year in order to trace the changes in their reasoning throughout their experience of learning algebra in that year. An investigator-designed written test and a set of interview items were used. The interviews successfully elicited a picture of students' understanding of the distributive law which showed how they might construct their own understanding of an algebraic rule from their limited mathematical 'tool kit'. Students; explanations at this stage showed a strong reliance on numerical evidence, such as results of substitutions, and their own perception of syntactic actions on algebraic expressions.