Teaching integers is crucial to helping students in elementary and early secondary school years build their mathematical skills. It is expected of students in Grade 9 to gain a solid understanding of integers, which is necessary for those who choose to pursue pure mathematics or mathematical literacy in Further Education and Training as well as tertiary education. Teachers and students in Grade 9 face a number of obstacles that must be overcome in order to give students a solid mathematical foundation, one of which is the understanding of fundamental concepts, such as integers. This study employed a qualitative research methodology, operating within the interpretivist paradigm, to investigate the problem under investigation. This study set out to investigate the difficulties that students in Grade 9 encountered when trying to comprehend integers in algebra. The study's target population comprised 120 students enrolled in Grade 9. An algebraic written test was given to a sample of forty students. Face-to-face interviews with a purposeful sample of five students were utilized to gather data. Data analysis and result interpretation were conducted using Kaput's (2008) Early Algebraic Conceptual Framework. This study verified that learning numbers in early algebra was difficult for students in Grade 9. Additionally, it was discovered that students have difficulty acting on symbols, generalizing, and adhering to the proper rules while using symbols. Furthermore, learners tended to overlook the minus sign that came before the integer they were multiplying by while using the distributive property, even though it was a component of the result. The study's conclusions highlight the necessity for educators to dissuade students from memorization of rules and instead focus on helping them comprehend and correctly apply them in the context of challenging integer problems. According to the study's findings, Grade 9 students' main difficulty was comprehending the characteristics of numbers, which led to mistakes like applying rules incorrectly. According to the study, in order to provide a picture of students' proficiency in integers, a baseline assessment in the subject should be given to students in Grade 9. When math knowledge gaps are identified early in Grade 9, it can help struggling students perform better.

Keywords: Early algebra, integers, knowledge gaps, learners, mathematics, secondary school.