Awareness of Arithmetic and Algebra Concepts

Teachers need to have in-depth knowledge of arithmetic and algebraic concepts to establish the connection between arithmetic and algebra fields of mathematics and to eliminate the difficulties caused by differences inherent in these fields. Within this context, the aim of this study is to determine the awareness of middle school mathematics teachers about the concepts of arithmetic and algebra. This study is conducted as a qualitative research. Participants of the study consist of 15 mathematics teachers who teach mathematics at middle schools in Trabzon, Gümüşhane and Bayburt. Semi-structured interview form was used as data collection tool in the study. In the analysis of the data obtained through the interview, content analysis technique was used. Findings revealed that teachers could not effectively define the concepts of arithmetic, algebra and transition from arithmetic to algebra and that they could not distinguish the connections, relationships and differences between these two fields