PROCEEDINGS OF THE 16TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 2)
2013
Denver, Colorado
Development of Students’ Ways of Thinking in Vector Calculus
Page: 2-662
In this talk, we describe the development of the ways of thinking of 25 vector calculus students over the course of one term. In particular, we characterize the generalizations that students made within and across interviews. We focus on the construction of the semi-structured pre and post interviews, trace the construction of explanatory constructs about student thinking that emerged from those interviews, and describe how those constructs fit within the broader literature on student thinking in advanced calculus. We conclude by exploring implications for future research and practical applications for educators.