Examination of the algebraic thinking skills of secondary school 7th and 8th grade students

Algebraic thinking is defined as the capacity to make clear the relationship between variables by showing quantitative situations. Determining the algebraic thinking levels of the students is necessary in the context of presenting solution suggestions in higher grades and contributing to the evaluation of the curriculum. In this context, the aim of the study is to examine the algebraic thinking skills of secondary school 7th and 8th grade students. Within the scope of my study, data were collected from 251 students studying in the 7th and 8th grades of two secondary schools located in a district of a metropolitan city in the south of Turkey. A form consisting of 6 open-ended questions was created as a data collection tool. In the analysis of the data, first of all, the solutions of each student to each question were analyzed according to the SOLO taxonomy. In order to determine the level of the relationship between the variables, the value of the probability coefficient was checked. According to the results of the research, it can be said that there is a high correlation between the students' ability to use symbols and algebraic relations, to benefit from multiple representations, and to formulate generalizations, and the SOLO taxonomy level when examined on classes. At the same time, it was determined that there was a high correlation between algebraic thinking levels and SOLO taxonomy level. Keywords: Algebraic Thinking, Symbol and Algebraic Relations, Multiple Notation, Formulating Generalizations, SOLO Taxonomy