International Journal of Applied Educational Studies

This study investigated how students in grade 5 approached word problems of an algebraic nature. Two problems were used for this purpose, one in the form x + (x + a) + (x + b) = c, and the other in the form ax + bx + cx = d. Data were collected from 82 students from two elementary schools in Al-Ain City, United Arab Emirates. The data consisted of students’ written solutions and explanations and follow up interviews with selected students. The results showed that successful and partially successful solutions involved two approaches, the unwind approach and the guess and check approach (both systematic and random). The unwind approach was used in approximately two thirds of the solutions. Unsuccessful solutions involved random guess and check, number manipulation, and arbitrary approaches. Generally, the results support the idea of introducing algebra earlier in school mathematics curricula.

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