PROCEEDINGS OF THE 16TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 2)
2013
Denver, Colorado
Self-inquiry in the Context of Undergraduate Problem Solving
Page: 2-538
Self-inquiry is the process of posing questions to oneself while solving a problem. The self- inquiry of thirteen undergraduate mathematics students was explored via structured interviews requiring the solution of both mathematical and non-mathematical problems. The students were asked to verbalize any thought or question that arose while they attempted to solve a mathematical problem and its nonmathematical logical equivalent. The thirteen students were volunteers who had each taken at least four upper division proof-based mathematics courses. Using transcripts of the interviews, a coding scheme for questions posed was developed and all questions were coded. While data analysis of the posed questions is ongoing, initial analysis suggests that the “good” mathematics students focus more questions on legitimizing their work and fewer questions on specification of the problem-solving task. Additionally, the self-inquiry of “fast” problem solvers mirrored that of the strong students with even less focus on specification questions.