Determining elementary teachers' ideas about early algebra

Abstract

This study aimed to determine elementary teachers’ ideas about early algebra. Survey model was used in the study. The data was obtained through “Early Algebra Awareness Scale” developed by the researchers. There were two different samples in this research including 217 elementary teachers in the development stage and 240 elementary teachers in the implementation stage of the scale. In the analysis of the quantitative data obtained from the implementation of the scale, the SPSS program was used. In this context, Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the mean of two groups and Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare the mean of more than two groups. On the other hand, to analyze the qualitative data the content analysis technique was used. The results showed that elementary teachers have limited knowledge of early algebra. Therefore, it could be said that education programs which will be implemented within the scope of early algebra can contribute to the development of the elementary school teachers’ early algebra ideas. © 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.