This study aimed to analyze the understanding of fourth-grade elementary school students regarding the concept of the equal sign and the notion of equivalence, which were newly introduced as achievement standards in the 2022 revised mathematics curriculum. A total of 146 fourth-grade students from seven classes in four schools participated in the study. Pre- and post-tests, consisting of three types of tasks—understanding the meaning of the equal sign, equation reasoning, and equation solving—were administered, and students’ responses were analyzed in terms of accuracy rates and patterns of thinking. The analysis revealed that, overall, students’ understanding of the relational meaning of the equal sign improved after instruction on the relevant unit, with positive changes observed in their ability to construct equations and represent problem situations using mathematical expressions. However, operational thinking still appeared in some items, and errors involving the repeated use of the equal sign were consistently observed. In particular, students showed difficulties in understanding non-standard equation structures and in constructing equations involving the symbol ☐. These findings suggest that the conceptualization of the relational meaning of the equal sign cannot be fully established in a short period and highlight the need for sustained instructional strategies that promote structural thinking.
Nam et al. (Tue,) studied this question.