Enhancing algebraic equation solving in upper elementary and middle school students using an algebra balance model

This study investigates the effectiveness of Level I, the first seven lessons, of the Hands-On Equations balance model in improving the equation-solving skills of upper elementary and middle school students. Fourth-grade (n = 123) and eighth-grade (n = 105) students from eleven classes in the United States participated in this study. A pretest-to-posttest design was used to evaluate the performance of the students on six algebraic equations, including three equations with the unknown on both sides of the equal sign. The students were provided with a six-question pretest prior to classroom instruction on the system, a posttest following Lesson 6 using the manipulatives, and a posttest following Lesson 7 without the manipulatives. Students were allowed 15 minutes for each of the tests. Each question answered correctly was given 1 point, regardless of the difficulty level of the question. Although the question paper had a field to enter the check for each problem, only the value for x was used to determine if the problem was answered correctly. The study sought to measure the effect of the program on the 4th grade, 8th grade rural, and 8th grade suburban groups. It also sought to compare the 4th grade results to an 8th grade benchmark. The data set includes the testing instrument, the pre- and post-testing data for each class, as well as an item analysis for the three groups.SPSS or JASP softwareThe math coordinator asked for grade four teachers to volunteer for this study and received six volunteers. These teachers attended a one-day onsite training session. Prior to instruction, they provided their students with a pretest. After instruction, they administered the posttests and entered the data on a summary data sheet. Those sheets were turned over to the math coordinator who in turn forwarded to the researcher for analysis. Since the author of the program has a conflict of interest, the statistical analysis was done by an independent party. The five 8th grade teachers participated in a public workshop and followed the same testing procedure. The assembled data was analyzed using SPSS 28.01