Representations used by future elementary teachers in a functional thinking task
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55560/arete.2026.23.12.10Keywords:
Early Algebra, Primary Education, Teacher Training, RepresentationsAbstract
The aim of this study was to describe the functional relationships and representations used by prospective primary school teachers when solving a functional thinking task. Data were collected through a written task involving the function f(x)=2x + 2, administered to 18 prospective teachers. The results showed that prospective teachers identified both covariational and correspondence relationships and employed varied and combined representations, giving rise to simple multiple and complex multiple representations. In addition, we highlight the different representational changes made by the prospective teachers throughout the task. They began the task using pictorial, numerical, and verbal representations, but finished using mainly verbal and symbolic representations. This study may encourage future research focused on the preparation of prospective primary school teachers within an algebraic context.
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