The Primary School Students' Pattern Seeking Process In the Spreadsheet Environment


ÖZDEMİR ERDOĞAN E., Turan P.

EGITIM VE BILIM-EDUCATION AND SCIENCE, vol.39, no.173, pp.182-197, 2014 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 39 Issue: 173
  • Publication Date: 2014
  • Journal Name: EGITIM VE BILIM-EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Page Numbers: pp.182-197
  • Keywords: Spreadsheet, linear and non-linear patterns, generalization strategies, 6th grade
  • Anadolu University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The process of pattern generalization is essential to the transition period from arithmetic to algebra. The spreadsheet is a technological tool that is effective in mathematics education and supports this process as well. The aim of this study is to investigate the pattern generalization process of primary school 6th-grade students (aged 11-12), who progress through arithmetic to algebra, within the framework of algebraic reasoning in the spreadsheet environment. Therefore, the student data on two pattern questions, one linear and one non-linear, was analyzed. The study found that the students used recursive and explicit strategies with the help of instrumented technics in the spreadsheet environment, and that the spreadsheet environment functioned as a bridge for students' transition from verbal expression of the pattern to its algebraic expression, supporting algebraic reasoning objectives.