Does Early Introduction of Algebra in Schools Make any Difference? A Causal-Comparative Study of Algebra Skills of Upper Secondary School Students in Norway and Nepal.

Abstract

The main goal of this causal-comparative study is to investigate if the introduction of algebra in an early stage in schools enhance students' understanding of basic high school algebra. Algebra with variables appears in fourth-grade in Nepal, while in Norway, it is not part of the curriculum before seventh-grade. Findings of this study are based on students' performance on an open-ended algebra test conducted among 813 students from different grades in schools in Norway and Nepal. Results indicate that the Norwegian students achieved significantly lower than their Nepalese counterparts. Norwegian students' achievement is also significantly lower than the tenth-graders in Nepal, while there was no significant difference between Norwegian eleventh-graders and Nepalese ninth-graders. Thus, the results of this study suggest that an early introduction of algebra in Nepal has a significant role in students' achievement. These findings agree with the past studies that suggest weak achievement of Norwegian students in algebra. Based on the findings, the study concludes that it is reasonable to argue for early introduction of algebra in Norwegian schools, but further research is needed to explore its pedagogical implications and how effectively it can be incorporated in current teaching-learning environment in Norway.