The conception of substitution of the equals sign plays a unique role in students' algebra performance
Author(s) / Creator(s)
Simsek, Emine
Xenidou-Dervou, Iro
Karadeniz, Ilyas
Jones, Ian
Abstract / Description
Students’ conceptions of the equals sign are related to algebraic success. Research has identified two common conceptions held by children: operational and relational. The latter has been widely operationalised in terms of the sameness of the values on each side of the equals sign, but it has been recently argued that the substitution component of relational equivalence should also be operationalised (Jones, Inglis, Gilmore, & Dowens, 2012, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2012.05.003). In this study, we investigated whether students’ endorsement of the substitution definition of the equals sign is a unique predictor of their algebra performance independent of the other two definitions (operational and sameness). Secondary school students were asked to rate the ‘cleverness’ of operational, sameness, and substitution definitions of the equals sign and completed an algebra test. Our findings demonstrate that endorsement of substitution plays a unique role in explaining secondary school students’ algebra performance above and beyond school year and the other definitions. These findings contribute new insights into how students’ algebra learning relates to their conceptions of the equals sign.
Keyword(s)
algebra equals sign equivalence mathematics education substitutionPersistent Identifier
Date of first publication
2019-04-05
Journal title
Journal of Numerical Cognition
Volume
5
Issue
1
Page numbers
24–37
Publisher
PsychOpen GOLD
Publication status
publishedVersion
Review status
peerReviewed
Is version of
Citation
Simsek, E., Xenidou-Dervou, I., Karadeniz, I., & Jones, I. (2019). The conception of substitution of the equals sign plays a unique role in students' algebra performance. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 5(1), 24-37. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v5i1.147
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jnc.v5i1.147.pdfAdobe PDF - 247.47KBMD5: b95aa93041cad7531daab8ebc91ee68d
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Simsek, Emine
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Xenidou-Dervou, Iro
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Karadeniz, Ilyas
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Jones, Ian
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PsychArchives acquisition timestamp2022-04-14T11:21:29Z
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Made available on2022-04-14T11:21:29Z
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Date of first publication2019-04-05
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Abstract / DescriptionStudents’ conceptions of the equals sign are related to algebraic success. Research has identified two common conceptions held by children: operational and relational. The latter has been widely operationalised in terms of the sameness of the values on each side of the equals sign, but it has been recently argued that the substitution component of relational equivalence should also be operationalised (Jones, Inglis, Gilmore, & Dowens, 2012, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2012.05.003). In this study, we investigated whether students’ endorsement of the substitution definition of the equals sign is a unique predictor of their algebra performance independent of the other two definitions (operational and sameness). Secondary school students were asked to rate the ‘cleverness’ of operational, sameness, and substitution definitions of the equals sign and completed an algebra test. Our findings demonstrate that endorsement of substitution plays a unique role in explaining secondary school students’ algebra performance above and beyond school year and the other definitions. These findings contribute new insights into how students’ algebra learning relates to their conceptions of the equals sign.en_US
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Publication statuspublishedVersion
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Review statuspeerReviewed
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CitationSimsek, E., Xenidou-Dervou, I., Karadeniz, I., & Jones, I. (2019). The conception of substitution of the equals sign plays a unique role in students' algebra performance. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 5(1), 24-37. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v5i1.147en_US
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ISSN2363-8761
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Persistent Identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/5447
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Persistent Identifierhttps://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.6051
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Language of contenteng
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PublisherPsychOpen GOLD
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Is version ofhttps://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v5i1.147
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Is related tohttps://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2375
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Keyword(s)algebraen_US
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Keyword(s)equals signen_US
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Keyword(s)equivalenceen_US
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Keyword(s)mathematics educationen_US
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Keyword(s)substitutionen_US
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Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)150
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TitleThe conception of substitution of the equals sign plays a unique role in students' algebra performanceen_US
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DRO typearticle
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Issue1
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Journal titleJournal of Numerical Cognition
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Page numbers24–37
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Volume5
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Visible tag(s)Version of Recorden_US