Context variation and syntax nuances of the equal sign in elementary school mathematics
Context variation and syntax nuances of the equal sign in elementary school mathematics
Existing research suggests that young children can develop a partial understanding of the equal sign as an operator rather than as a relational symbol of equivalence. This partial understanding can be the result of overemphasis on canonical equation syntaxes of the type a + b = c in elementary school mathematics. This paper presents an examination of context and syntax nuances of relevant sections from the Grade-1 Greek series of textbooks and workbooks. Using a conceptual framework of context variation, the analysis shows qualitative differences between equations of similar syntax and provides a nuanced determination of contextual and structural aspects of ‘variation’ in how the equal sign is presented in elementary mathematics. The paper proposes that since equations have context-specific meanings, context variations should constitute a separate element of analysis when investigating how the equal sign is presented. The implication for practice and future research is that nuanced considerations of equation syntax within varied contexts are needed for elaborating analyses of the equal sign presentation that move beyond dichotomized categorizations of canonical/non-canonical syntaxes.
415-429
Voutsina, Chronoula
bd9934e7-f8e0-4b82-a664-a1fe48850082
December 2019
Voutsina, Chronoula
bd9934e7-f8e0-4b82-a664-a1fe48850082
Voutsina, Chronoula
(2019)
Context variation and syntax nuances of the equal sign in elementary school mathematics.
Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 19 (4), .
(doi:10.1007/s42330-019-00067-5).
Abstract
Existing research suggests that young children can develop a partial understanding of the equal sign as an operator rather than as a relational symbol of equivalence. This partial understanding can be the result of overemphasis on canonical equation syntaxes of the type a + b = c in elementary school mathematics. This paper presents an examination of context and syntax nuances of relevant sections from the Grade-1 Greek series of textbooks and workbooks. Using a conceptual framework of context variation, the analysis shows qualitative differences between equations of similar syntax and provides a nuanced determination of contextual and structural aspects of ‘variation’ in how the equal sign is presented in elementary mathematics. The paper proposes that since equations have context-specific meanings, context variations should constitute a separate element of analysis when investigating how the equal sign is presented. The implication for practice and future research is that nuanced considerations of equation syntax within varied contexts are needed for elaborating analyses of the equal sign presentation that move beyond dichotomized categorizations of canonical/non-canonical syntaxes.
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Voutsina_CJSMTE2019_100919
- Accepted Manuscript
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Voutsina2019_Article_ContextVariationAndSyntaxNuanc
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Accepted/In Press date: 9 September 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 6 November 2019
Published date: December 2019
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 434167
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/434167
ISSN: 1492-6156
PURE UUID: 7ffb3cff-1392-4df2-bebf-52915430db8c
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Date deposited: 13 Sep 2019 16:30
Last modified: 23 Feb 2023 05:29
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