Generalization Process by Second Grade Students

This study is part of a broader study on algebraic reasoning in elementary education. The research objective of the present survey, namely to describe generalization among second grade (7- to 8-year-old) students, was pursued through semi-structured interviews with six children in connection with a contextualized generalization task involving the function y = x + 3. Particular attention was paid to the structures recognized and the type of generalization expressed by these students as they reasoned. In all six, we observed three phases of inductive reasoning: (a) abductive, (b) inductive and (c) generalization. The students correctly recognized the structure at least once during the interview and expressed generalization in three ways.

Automated summary

This study described the reasoning process of 7- to 8-year-old second grade students in a generalization task involving the function y = x + 3. The research found three phases of inductive reasoning among the students, with correct recognition of structures and expression of generalization in three ways.