Digital Commons Network^™

Transitioning From The Abstract To The Concrete: Reasoning Algebraically, Andrea Lynn Martin

MSU Graduate Theses

Why are students not making a smooth transition from arithmetic to algebra? The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of students’ algebraic reasoning through tasks involving generalizing. After students’ algebraic reasoning had been analyzed, the challenges they encountered while reasoning were analyzed. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with six eighth grade students and analyzed by watching recorded interviews while tracking algebraic reasoning. Through data analysis of students’ algebraic reasoning, three themes emerged: 1) it was possible for students to reach stage two (informal abstraction) and have an abstract understanding of the mathematical pattern even if …