ERIC Number: EJ1021783
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0020-739X
EISSN: N/A
Conceptions of Mathematics and Student Identity: Implications for Engineering Education
Craig, Tracy S.
International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, v44 n7 p1020-1029 2013
Lecturers of first-year mathematics often have reason to believe that students enter university studies with naïve conceptions of mathematics and that more mature conceptions need to be developed in the classroom. Students' conceptions of the nature and role of mathematics in current and future studies as well as future career are pedagogically important as they can impact on student learning and have the potential to influence how and what we teach. As part of ongoing longitudinal research into the experience of a cohort of students registered at the author's institution, students' conceptions of mathematics were determined using a coding scheme developed elsewhere. In this article, I discuss how the cohort of students choosing to study engineering exhibits a view of mathematics as conceptual skill and as problem-solving, coherent with an accurate understanding of the role of mathematics in engineering. Parallel investigation shows, however, that the students do not embody designated identities as engineers.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Engineering Education, Mathematics, Student Attitudes, College Freshmen, Problem Solving, Self Concept, Interviews, Questionnaires, Student Characteristics, Background
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa (Cape Town)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A