Beyond Equality: Transitioning to Equation Solving through Representation-Rich Early Algebra Instruction

This study examines the algebraic reasoning of five fourth-grade students during their transition from understanding equality to solving equations in an early algebra instructional process that used multiple representations. Designed as a qualitative teaching experiment, the study was conducted over five weeks. The instruction incorporated algebra tiles, interactive digital tools, visual models, and symbolic expressions. Data were collected through activity-based interviews, video and audio recordings, and student worksheets. Content analysis focused on understanding of equality, symbolization, conceptions of variables, and equation-solving processes. Across the five cases, the findings documented episodes in which students interpreted equality relationally, moved among concrete, schematic, and symbolic forms, and developed equation-solving strategies. These patterns occurred within instruction that combined multiple representations with teacher scaffolding, and the design does not allow the contribution of either component to be isolated. The study therefore offers context-specific evidence about possible learning processes in one classroom rather than generalizable evidence of educational impact. Future research could examine similar processes with larger and more diverse groups, comparison conditions, and longer implementation periods.