Early study of algebra can ‘academically harm’ pupils

Research shows it affects the grades of those of low ability
18th May 2012, 1:00am

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Early study of algebra can ‘academically harm’ pupils

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/early-study-algebra-can-academically-harm-pupils

Requiring all 14-year-olds to study algebra regardless of their ability can harm their mathematical development, new research has revealed.

Two separate research studies from the US have shown that changes made to toughen up state curricula are having unintended consequences. The studies arrive as the maths curriculum in England is being reviewed; Westminster education secretary Michael Gove has said that he would like algebra and calculus to be studied at a younger age in the UK.

In 2002, one county in North Carolina, introduced algebra for eighth-grade pupils (the equivalent of S2) for two years. After the two years, eighth- grade pupils were no longer taught algebra. This gave academics at Duke University the chance to compare the performance of pupils who had similar initial achievement.

They found that moderately performing eighth-grade pupils who took the ninth-grade algebra course performed worse in that course, and in other maths courses later in their school careers, than those who did not take the course.

The researchers concluded that the early teaching of more advanced maths, without any strategy to prepare pupils, could damage their chances of understanding the subject in the long term.

Now, a separate study in California has reached similar conclusions. It found that pupils in the bottom 10 per cent of their class gained lower maths scores than expected if they were taught algebra in the eighth grade, rather than in the ninth grade.

About three-quarters of the 2,000 low-ability pupils in the study took algebra-only courses and achieved an average grade of C-minus over the year, while similar pupils learning general maths gained an average grade of C.

The study’s authors, from UC Davis School of Education, warned that, while teaching algebra early is a laudable aim, a universal policy can “academically harm” some pupils.

A report published by the Department for Education earlier this year, as part of the review of the national curriculum, said that English and American pupils at age 14 performed at a comparable level in algebra, although both countries had relatively low placings in international rankings. It also found that only a minority of high-performing countries introduced algebraic concepts any earlier.

Professor David Reynolds of the University of Southampton said: “My inclination with maths generally is to wait for the next Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment) survey in December 2013 and look at how countries with different curricula in maths do.

“The reason algebra is started in most societies at around 13 or 14 is because of the inherent difficulty that younger children find in doing it.”

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