• School Mathematics
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.55-75
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• 2005

Mathematical symbolizing is an important part of mathematics learning. But many students have difficulties m symbolizing mathematical ideas formally. If students had experiences inventing their own mathematical symbols and developing them to conventional ones natural way, i.e. learning mathematical symbols via expressive approaches, they could understand and use formal mathematical symbols meaningfully. These experiences are especially valuable for students who meet mathematical symbols for the first time. Hence, there are needs to investigate how early elementary school students can and should experience meaningful mathematical symbolizing. The purpose of this study was to analyze students' mathematical symbolizing processes and characteristics of theses. We carried out teaching experiments that promoted meaningful mathematical symbolizing among eight first graders. And then we analyzed students' symbolizing processes and characteristics of expressive approaches to mathematical symbols in early elementary students. As a result, we could places mathematical symbolizing processes developed in the teaching experiments under five categories. And we extracted and discussed several characteristics of early elementary students' meaningful mathematical symbolizing processes.