Students' Interpretations of Literal Symbols in Algebra

Abstract

Large-scale research both in Great Britain (Hart, 1981) and in the United States(Carpenter, Corbitt, Kepner, Lindquist, & Reys, 1981) has shown that students have greatdifficulties in understanding algebra. Many students mention specifically the use of literalsymbols as the origin of their difficulties, saying that they understood mathematics untilliteral symbols appeared (Sackur, 1995). In the present study, the conceptual changeapproach will be used as an explanatory framework for better understanding students’difficulties in interpreting the use of literal symbols as variables in algebra.