ALGEBRAIC THINKING OF PRIMARY STUDENTS

On the one hand, algebra plays an important role in mathematics teaching at school. On the other hand, it often still proves to be particularly difficult to many students. This is why efforts have been made especially over recent years to connect arithmetic and algebra as early as primary school. Less frequent are studies which systematically explore the natural capacities of primary school pupils regarding their algebraic thinking patterns. This contribution attempts to describe algebraic thinking at primary school age. In addition, we report of a study which captures the relevant abilities of primary school pupils by looking at the way in which they handle potentially algebraic problems.