A research on elementary and middle school students'perceptions (2-6. grades) of the equal sign

This study was carried out in order to reveal the thoughts of pre-algebra primary school students about the equal sign and whether there is an improvement in their level of understanding as the grade level increases, and if so, at what level. In the study, quantitative data were collected with the Equal Sign Test developed by the researcher. This study, in which the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades of primary and secondary schools participated, was carried out in the spring semester of the 2018-2019 academic year with 541 students, 2 primary schools and 3 secondary schools, in the Aegean Region. Then, qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 students. As a data collection tool, the Equal Sign Test was developed by the researcher based on the studies of Yaman, Toluk and Olkun (2003) and Yaman (2004). The test consists of 3 parts. The first part consists of verbal problems, the second part consists of filling in the blanks and the third part consists of expressing the given mathematical sentences as true-false. The scores that the students got from the test were entered into a statistical package program and it was checked whether there was a significant difference between the scores they got from the test. The interviews with the students were examined one by one and inferences were made about the equal sign perception of the students. According to the quantitative data, in the total score; The scores of the 2nd and 3rd grade students were significantly lower than the scores of the 4th, 5th and 6th grade students. No significant difference was found in the scores of female and male students. In the qualitative part, students were asked to explain their answers to the "Equal Sign Test" along with their reasons. In the light of these data, it has been revealed that students' perceptions of the equal sign can be discussed in 4 parts: each number is equal to itself, the equal sign indicates a direction, a process sign, and a balance. Starting from the 2nd grade, teachers should work with concrete materials on the relational meaning of the equal sign in lessons, and these studies should be supported with examples. Thus, it should form the basis of the algebra learning field that students will see in the future