RUME 26
2024
Omaha, Nebraska
Do Instructors Value Examples in Proof?
Page: 404
During the transition from procedure-based mathematics courses to proof-based mathematics courses, many students struggle to understand the purpose of examples. A productive use of examples can help both the generation and understanding of proofs. Although recent advances in research have argued the importance of productive uses of examples, there is little research investigating the alignment of research with current practices of instructors or of how the instructors view research on example-use. Findings from this study indicate instructors are aligned with mathematics education research on differing levels of example-use. However, many instructors may be hesitant to see examples be used by their students in written work. Despite this hesitation, instructors still encourage students to use examples to aid their understanding of proof.