ERIC Number: EJ961587
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0737-0008
EISSN: N/A
Mathematicians' Perspectives on Features of a Good Pedagogical Proof
Lai, Yvonne; Weber, Keith; Mejia-Ramos, Juan Pablo
Cognition and Instruction, v30 n2 p146-169 2012
In this article, we report two studies investigating what mathematicians value in a pedagogical proof. Study 1 is a qualitative study of how eight mathematicians revised two proofs that would be presented in a course for mathematics majors. These mathematicians thought that introductory and concluding sentences should be included in the proofs, main ideas should be formatted to emphasize their importance, and extraneous or redundant information should be removed to avoid distracting or confusing the reader. Study 2 is a quantitative study assessing the extent to which a larger group of mathematicians (N = 110) agreed or disagreed with the eight mathematicians interviewed in Study 1. This quantitative study confirmed the findings of Study 1 by demonstrating a high degree of agreement among mathematicians regarding how they would revise proofs for pedagogical purposes. (Contains 9 tables, 9 figures, and 2 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Sentences, Mathematics Education, Qualitative Research, Mathematics Instruction, Teaching Methods, Majors (Students), Statistical Analysis, Interviews, Validity, Internet, College Faculty, Doctoral Degrees, Graduate Students, Mathematical Formulas
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A