Keys to the Gate? Equal Sign Knowledge at Second Grade Predicts Fourth-Grade Algebra Competence
Year: 2018
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Algebraic competence is a major determinant of college access and career prospects, and equal sign knowledge is taken to be foundational to algebra knowledge. However, few studies have documented a causal effect of early equal sign knowledge on later algebra skill. This study assessed whether second-grade students’ equal sign knowledge prospectively predicts their fourth-grade algebra knowledge, when controlling for demographic and individual difference factors. Children (N = 177; Mage = 7.61) were assessed on a battery of tests in Grade 2 and on algebraic knowledge in Grade 4. Second-grade equal sign knowledge was a powerful predictor of these algebraic skills. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of foregrounding equal sign knowledge to promote effective pedagogy and educational equity.
Source: Child Development
DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13144
Authors: Percival G Matthews, Lynn S Fuchs
Institutions: University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vanderbilt University
Language: English
Subfield: Statistics and Probability
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
Awards: Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research Center, G1324751615, G150953014, Word Problems, Language, & Comorbid Learning Disabilities, Calculations, Word Problems, and Algebraic Cognition, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center at Vanderbilt University
OpenAlex ID: W2892054081