RME2019preprint.pdf (2.68 MB)
Download fileTeaching using contextualised and decontextualised representations: examining the case of differential calculus through a comparative judgement technique
journal contribution
posted on 2020-01-07, 14:10 authored by Marie-Josée Bisson, Camilla GilmoreCamilla Gilmore, Matthew InglisMatthew Inglis, Ian JonesIan JonesAn ongoing debate concerns whether novel mathematical concepts are better learned using
contextualised or decontextualised representations. A barrier to resolving this debate, and
therefore to progress in the discipline, has been the paucity of validated methods of measuring
students’ understanding of mathematical concepts. We developed an innovative and efficient
method for measuring, in experimental settings, students’ understanding of any mathematical
concept using comparative judgement. We demonstrate the method by applying it to the
comparison of learning outcomes from two teaching conditions. Participants (260 15-16 year
olds across six schools) were introduced to differential calculus using contextualised or
decontextualised representations. We then assessed participants’ comparative conceptual
understanding of derivatives. We found evidence that contextualised and decontextualised
representations were equally effective at promoting student learning in this context. The
assessment method yielded valid and reliable results, suggesting that it offers a robust and
efficient approach for the problem of assessing conceptual understanding in experimental or
other comparative settings
Funding
Nuffield Foundation grant
Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship
Royal Society Worshipful Company of Actuaries Research Fellowship
History
School
- Science
Department
- Mathematics Education Centre
Published in
Research in Mathematics EducationVolume
22Issue
3Pages
284 - 303Publisher
Taylor and FrancisVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Rights holder
© British Society for Research into Learning MathematicsPublisher statement
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Research in Mathematics Education on 18 Dec 2019, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/14794802.2019.1692060.Acceptance date
2019-11-04Publication date
2019-12-18Copyright date
2019ISSN
1479-4802eISSN
1754-0178Publisher version
Language
- en