Student Difficulties in Solving Equations from an Operational and a Structural Perspective

Al Jupri; Paul Drijvers; Marja van den Heuvel-Panhuizen

doi:10.29333/iejme/280

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Al Jupri, Paul Drijvers, Marja van den Heuvel-Panhuizen

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Abstract

In Indonesia, as in many other countries, mathematics teachers, educators and researchers are confronted with student difficulties in initial algebra. To investigate and understand these difficulties, we carried out a pilot study involving 51 Indonesian grade seven students who use a digital mathematics environment for algebra. The notions of operational and structural conceptions offer a framework for explaining student difficulties in solving equations. These include difficulties with arithmetical skills, the use of the equal sign, understanding algebraic expressions, and understanding the concept of variable. The operational and structural perspectives provide guidelines for future task design and research.

Keywords

Algebra Education
Digital Mathematics Environment
Equations in One Variable
Operational and Structural Views

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INT ELECT J MATH ED, Volume 9, Issue 1, January 2014, 39-55

https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/280

Publication date: 02 Feb 2014

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How to cite this article

APA

Jupri, A., Drijvers, P., & Heuvel-Panhuizen, M. V. D. (2014). Student Difficulties in Solving Equations from an Operational and a Structural Perspective. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 9(1), 39-55. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/280

Vancouver

Jupri A, Drijvers P, Heuvel-Panhuizen MVD. Student Difficulties in Solving Equations from an Operational and a Structural Perspective. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2014;9(1):39-55. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/280

AMA

Jupri A, Drijvers P, Heuvel-Panhuizen MVD. Student Difficulties in Solving Equations from an Operational and a Structural Perspective. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2014;9(1), 39-55. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/280

Chicago

Jupri, Al, Paul Drijvers, and Marja van den Heuvel-Panhuizen. "Student Difficulties in Solving Equations from an Operational and a Structural Perspective". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education 2014 9 no. 1 (2014): 39-55. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/280

Harvard

Jupri, A., Drijvers, P., and Heuvel-Panhuizen, M. V. D. (2014). Student Difficulties in Solving Equations from an Operational and a Structural Perspective. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 9(1), pp. 39-55. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/280

MLA

Jupri, Al et al. "Student Difficulties in Solving Equations from an Operational and a Structural Perspective". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, vol. 9, no. 1, 2014, pp. 39-55. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/280