scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Journal ArticleDOI

El Uso de Las Letras como Fuente de Errores de Estudiantes Universitarios en la Resolución de Tareas Algebraicas

01 Dec 2014-Bolema (Universidade Estadual Paulista / Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa / Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Matemática)-Vol. 28, Iss: 50, pp 1545-1566
TL;DR: In this paper, a study with 194 students of the Centro Universitario de la Costa Sur in Autlan, Mexico, found that more than half of the students at this level of education do not show difficulties in evaluating letters, handling them as objects or considering their presence, however, it does reveal deficiencies in the discernment to understand the use and meaning of the letters as unknown of specific value, numbers, and variables such as widespread.
Abstract: The present investigation is a study with 194 students of the Centro Universitario de la Costa Sur in Autlan, Mexico. It aims to analyze the most common mistakes that first semester students show in the productions, to operate with different meanings that may have letters in algebra and, based on these results, establish its location within one of the four categories of understanding in the use and meaning of letters in algebra proposed by Kuchemann (1980). The results show that more than half of the students at this level of education do not show difficulties in evaluating letters, handling them as objects or considering their presence, however, it does reveal deficiencies in the discernment to understand the use and meaning of the letters as unknown of specific value, numbers, and variables such as widespread.

Content maybe subject to copyright    Report

Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
31 Dec 2020
TL;DR: In this paper, a didactic strategy based on semiotic representations was proposed to improve the academic achievement of students in their first course of mathematics at the university, which is especially observed in the topic of the parabola.
Abstract: Learning achieved by students in their first course of mathematics at the university reflects a low achievement, which is especially observed in the topic of the parabola. Due to this problem, the objective of improving the academic achievement of students in that topic, through a didactic strategy based on semiotic representations, was proposed. To this end, a quantitative inquiry was carried out, with a pre-test post-test design, on both a control group and an experimental group. There, a total of 44 students, of an average age of 19 years who were taking the subject of Mathematics Foundations, participated. It was found that the gain between the post-test and pre-test measurement was significantly higher (p<0.01) in the experimental group with respect to the control group, where the conventional strategy for the course was being used. It is concluded that it is possible to improve the learning of the parabola in students through the strategy based on semiotic representations, and that it is highly recommended to apply it for the learning of other mathematical objects in the basic sciences courses of the engineering division.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors found that the majority of students up to age 15 seem unable to interpret algebraic letters as generalised numbers or even as specific unknowns Instead, they ignore the letters, replace them with numerical values, or regard them as shorthand names.
Abstract: Research studies have found that the majority of students up to age 15 seem unable to interpret algebraic letters as generalised numbers or even as specific unknowns Instead, they ignore the letters, replace them with numerical values, or regard them as shorthand names The principal explanation given in the literature has been a general link to levels of cognitive development In this paper we present evidence for specific origins of misinterpretation that have been overlooked in the literature, and which may or may not be associated with cognitive level These origins are: intuitive assumptions and pragmatic reasoning about a new notation, analogies with familiar symbol systems, interference from new learning in mathematics, and the effects of misleading teaching materials Recognition of these origins of misunderstanding is necessary for improving the teaching of algebra

218 citations

01 Jan 1997
TL;DR: Evidence is presented that some common misinterpretations can be explained by considering factors more accessible than cognitive level to diagnosis and possible remediation, and that difficulties in learning to use algebraic notation have several origins.
Abstract: Research studies have found that the majority of students up to age 15 seem unable to interpret algebraic letters as generalised numbers or even as specific unknowns. Instead, they ignore the letters, replace them with numerical values, or regard them as shorthand names. The principal explanation given in the literature has been a general link to levels of cognitive development. In this paper we present evidence for specific origins of misinterpretation that have been overlooked in the literature, and which may or may not be associated with cognitive level. These origins are: intuitive assumptions and pragmatic reasoning about a new notation, analogies with familiar symbol systems, interference from new learning in mathematics, and the effects of misleading teaching materials. Recognition of these origins of misunderstanding is necessary for improving the teaching of algebra. The Concepts in Secondary Mathematics and Science (CSMS) research project (Hart, 1981) provided evidence linking students' levels of under- standing of algebraic letters to Piagetian stages of cognitive development and to IQ scores. It was concluded that most of the 13 to 15-year-olds tested were unable to cope with items that required interpreting letters as generalised numbers or even as specific unknowns. In the many years since the CSMS project, it has been widely accepted that cognitive level is a suf- ficient explanation for the way in which algebraic notation is interpreted. If cognitive level is viewed as a barrier to the construction of certain concepts, it explains why students cannot do certain algebraic tasks. However, it does not explain why they misinterpret the notation in different ways and why they make certain errors. In this paper we take this next step. We show that some common misinterpretations can be explained by considering factors more accessible than cognitive level to diagnosis and possible remediation. We present evidence that difficulties in learning to use algebraic notation have several origins, including:

149 citations