Research On The Meaning And Assessment Of The Middle School Students’ Algebric Literacy

Nowadays, quality education is advocated actively in our middle school mathematics education. But meanwhile,the mathematics teaching,test and evaluation are not fit in with the purpose of quality education in some school. The study of mathematical literacy has been paid more attention internationally, but there is not enough systematically theoretical or practical research about the middle school students’ algebric literacy. therefore, I want to explore the middle school students’ algebric literacy from three respects. One is to define the meaning of it. The second is to construct the model and the system of the middle school students’ algebric literacy. The third is to evaluate and analyse the state of the middle school students’ algebric literacy.We study the middle school students’ algebric literacy from four angles of mathematics curricula, mathematics experts, middle school teachers and college freshmen.Firstly, we compare the middle school mathematics curricula and criteria with other countries’, find that the important algebra knowledge is concentrated on number, algebraic expression, equation and function. Algebra skill is laid stress on algebraic operation and drawing. Agebra competency is embodied in generalization, synthesis, problem solving. By investigation further survey and interview of the mathematics experts, middle school teachers and college freshmen, we find that they concentrate the middle school students’ algebric literacy on five dimensions of algebra basic knowledge, algebra basic skill, algebra basic thinking method, agebra basic competency and algebra preliminary application. Algebra basic knowledge mainly includes sign, rule and relation. Algebra basic skill chiefly refers to operation, reasoning, visualization. Algebra basic thinking method has transformation, equation, function. Agebra basic competency contains abstract, symbolization, generalization. Algebra preliminary application comprises finding relation, modeling, solving and rethinking. From this, we summarize the connotation of the middle school students’ algebra literacy, and construct the solid model of the middle school students’ algebric literacy.Secondly, on the basis of the solid model, we have determined the weight of every evaluating indicator, and form computational method of the middle school students’ algebra literacy.Thirdly, based on the solid model of the middle school students’ algebric literacy and international evaluateion method,we develop an examination paper and predict the 7th and 8th grades students. Subsequently we evaluate more than 1700 8th and 9th grades students formally. According to the result of examination, we have divided the middle school students’ algebra literacy into seven levels, they are pre-structure, uni-structure, multi-structure, linear-structure, network-Structure, three-dimensional structure, extended structure. Then we analyse the students’ algebric literacy and have come to some valuable conclusions.Finally, according to examination result and the case study, we revise the preceding algebric literacy model and put forward the application-based algebra literacy model.