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An Analysis of Algebraic Thinking by Third Graders

초등학교 3학년 학생들의 대수적 사고에 대한 실태 분석

  • Received : 2016.07.07
  • Accepted : 2016.07.29
  • Published : 2016.07.31

Abstract

Given the importance of developing algebraic thinking from early grades, this study investigated an overall performance and main characteristics of algebraic thinking from a total of 197 third grade students. The national elementary mathematics curriculum in Korea does not emphasize directly essential elements of algebraic thinking but indicates indirectly some of them. This study compared our students' performance related to algebraic thinking with results of Blanton et al. (2015) which reported considerable progress of algebraic thinking by emphasizing it through a regular curriculum. The results of this study showed that Korean students solved many items correctly as compatible to Blanton et al. (2015). However, our students tended to use 'computational' strategies rather than 'structural' ones in the process of solving items related to equation. When it comes to making algebraic expressions, they tended to assign a particular value to the unknown quantity followed by the equal sign. This paper is expected to explore the algebraic thinking by elementary school students and to provide implications of how to promote students' algebraic thinking.

초등 수학 교육에서 대수적 사고의 중요성이 부각되는 것과 관련하여 본 연구에서는 우리나라 3학년 학생 197명을 대상으로 대수적 사고에 대한 전반적인 실태와 문제해결 과정에서 드러나는 특징을 살펴보았다. 특히 우리나라 초등 수학과 교육과정에서는 대수적 사고 요소를 성취기준이나 지도상의 유의점으로 명시하고 있지 않지만 암묵적으로 지도되는 실정이기 때문에, 대수적 사고 요소를 강조한 외국의 사례와 비교 분석함으로써 우리나라 학생들의 대수적 사고의 특징을 파악할 것으로 기대되었다. 연구 결과 대체적으로 대수적 사고 요소에 대한 학습이 이루어진 선행 연구의 집단과 유사하게 높은 정답률을 보였다. 반면 우리나라 학생들이 사용한 해결 전략의 특징으로 등식과 방정식을 해결하는 과정에서 구조적인 전략 보다는 계산적인 전략이 주도적으로 나타났으며, 대수식을 나타낼 때 등호를 사용하여 구체적인 수를 도출하려는 경향을 알 수 있었다. 본 연구를 통하여 우리나라 초등학교 3학년 학생들의 대수적 사고에 대한 전반적인 실태를 파악하고 대수적 사고의 지도 방향에 대한 시사점을 모색하는데 도움이 될 것이라 기대한다.

Keywords

References

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