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

Emel Özdemir Erdoğan, Pelin Turan

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.

Keywords

Spreadsheet, linear and non-linear patterns, generalization strategies, 6th grade.

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