• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.239-259
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• 2011

This study investigated the elementary school students' ability on the algebraic reasoning as generalized arithmetic. It analyzed the written responses from 648 second graders, 688 fourth graders, and 751 sixth graders using tests probing their understanding of the properties of whole number operations. The result of this study showed that many students did not recognize the properties of operations in the problem situations, and had difficulties in applying such properties to solve the problems. Even lower graders were quite successful in using the commutative law both in addition and subtraction. However they had difficulties in using the associative and the distributive law. These difficulties remained even for upper graders. As for the associative and the distributive law, students had more difficulties in solving the problems dealing with specific numbers than those of arbitrary numbers. Given these results, this paper includes issues and implications on how to foster early algebraic reasoning ability in the elementary school.