Appropriate contexts for algebraization at primary school level, along with content analysis of Iranian primary school math textbooks based on the proposed framework

A number of recent researches which indicate the primary school children's abilities in algebra, along with a variety of researches that show the upper grade student's difficulties in traditional algebra curriculum, have led to the emergence of a newborn domain of inquiry, i.e., early algebra. The main challenge of early algebra is to find the appropriate way of including it in primary school math curriculum. Using the early algebra research literature, this paper suggests four appropriate mathematical contexts for algebraization at primary school level: word problems, patterning, conceptualization of equal sign and generalization of arithmetic rules. In this paper, while explaining these contexts, they would be used as a framework for the analysis of algebra content of primary school math textbooks. Content analysis of the textbooks showed that despite the several opportunities for algebraization in these textbooks, they were not used to the benefit of algebraization. Also, this paper presents some suggestions for the reviewing of the textbooks’ content based on the suggested framework.