Između broja i simbola: reprezentacije jednačina u udžbenicima mlađih razreda osnovne škole

Abstract

Development of algebraic thinking in the lower grades of elementary school is one of the key challenges of contemporary mathematics education. The aim of this research study was to determine the frequency and the types of representations used in mathematics textbooks in Serbia when introducing equations, as well as to examine to what extent mathematical problems encourage combining different representations and translating between them. The sample included mathematical textbooks for the lower grades of elementary school from four publishing houses. The research was based on content analysis, where mathematical problems are classified according to the dominant representation type: verbal, numerical, graphical, and symbolic. The results show that verbal representations dominate the textbooks, whereas a symbolic type of representation appears to be dominant only in the textbooks for the fourth grade, and that the number of mathematical problems containing combined representations is small. Explicit requirements for translating between representations are rare or absent in the introductory examples. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that there is a need for the systematic introduction of numerical and graphical activities, as well as the need for explicit requirements for translating between representations so that the symbolic notation becomes a meaningful result of gradual development, rather than the final formal step.