How mathematical strategies and didactic models for equation solving address coefficients

Paper in proceeding, 2025

Solving equations is a critical skill in mathematics education in upper secondary school. Studies have shown that some students’ abilities to solve linear equations depend on the kind of numbers present in the equations. Didactic models for linear equations might not address this issue. In addition, there is no systematic analysis of how well didactic models represent coefficients in equations, and their potential to support students’ recognition of structure in
equations in different numeric settings. In this paper, we review existing mathematical strategies and didactic models of equation solving and explore how they address coefficients, with a special focus on decimal and negative numbers.