The Primary School Students’ Pattern Seeking Process In the Spreadsheet Environment

Abstract

The process of pattern generalization is essential to the transition period from arithmetic to algebra. The spreadsheet is a technological tool that is effective in mathematics education and supports this process as well. The aim of this study is to investigate the pattern generalization process of primary school 6th-grade students (aged 11-12), who progress through arithmetic to algebra, within the framework of algebraic reasoning in the spreadsheet environment. Therefore, the student data on two pattern questions, one linear and one non-linear, was analyzed. The study found that the students used recursive and explicit strategies with the help of instrumented technics in the spreadsheet environment, and that the spreadsheet environment functioned as a bridge for students’ transition from verbal expression of the pattern to its algebraic expression, supporting algebraic reasoning objectives.