2134/33698
Emine Simsek
Emine
Simsek
Iro Xenidou-Dervou
Iro
Xenidou-Dervou
Ilyas Karadeniz
Ilyas
Karadeniz
Ian Jones
Ian
Jones
The conception of substitution of the equals sign plays a unique role in students' algebra performance
Loughborough University
2018
Algebra
Equals sign
Equivalence
Mathematics education
Substitution
Mathematical Sciences not elsewhere classified
2018-07-03 13:27:10
Journal contribution
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/The_conception_of_substitution_of_the_equals_sign_plays_a_unique_role_in_students_algebra_performance/9387830
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 Jones, Inglis, Gilmore and Dowens (2012) argued that the substitution component of relational equivalence should also be operationalised. 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.