Algebraic thinking skills of students in the early algebra period: 5th grade example

One of the basic components of mathematics education is algebraic thinking. Algebraic thinking is a way of thinking that enables high-level thinking in all areas of mathematics. Therefore, in this research; Arithmetic, generalization and functional thinking skills of middle school fifth grade students in the context of early algebra were discussed. The data of the study, which adopted the basic qualitative research model, were collected with the help of a clinical interview form developed by reviewing the studies in the literature. The participants of the study involve 5th grade students studying at a public school in Iğdır province in the 2021-2022 academic year. In addition to the teacher's opinion, clinical interviews were conducted with a total of six students, two low-level, two medium-level and two high-level performers, taking into account the academic achievement levels of the students. The collected data were analyzed by thematic analysis method and presented as research findings with the help of themes, sub-themes and codes. In the study, it was observed that student's generalization skills were not at the expected level. In some sections, differences in students' generalization skills are sometimes observed independently of their academic achievement level, while in some sections, it comes to the fore that their skills improve in proportion to their academic achievement. It has been concluded that they try to generalize arithmetic based on special situations in the context of generalization, in the context of functional thinking, they have difficulty in showing close and distant steps in patterns through representation, and they do not exhibit advanced functional thinking skills.