THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EIGHTH GRADE PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ’ PROPORTIONAL REASONING SKILLS AND SUCCESS IN SOLVING EQUATIONS1

This study investigates the relationship between eighth grade primary school students ’ success levels in solving equations and proportional reasoning skills. 344 eighth grade students, who were registered at various primary schools in the central districts of Konya in the 2007-2008 educational year, participated in the research. The study had a relational survey research design. The findings indicated that eighth grade students ’ success in solving equations and their proportional reasoning skills were highly correlated (r=0.89). Students were most successful at finding the missing value within the proportional reasoning question types, followed by questions that required quantitative comparison and qualitative comparison. Key Words: proportional reasoning, solving equations, primary schoo