PROCEEDINGS OF THE 17TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2014
Denver, Colorado
Approximation: A Connecting Construct of the First-Year Calculus?
Page: 1037
This report will present preliminary findings from a research study designed to investigate calculus instructors’ perceptions of approximation as a central concept and possible unifying theme of the first-year calculus. The study will also examine the role approximation plays in participants’ self-reported instructional practices. A survey was administered through Qualtrics to a stratified random sample of 3930 mathematicians at higher education institutions throughout the United States with a desired N = 300. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze the data gathered. Findings from this research will contribute to what is known about the perceptions and teaching practices of calculus instructors regarding the role of approximation in first-year calculus courses. Research-based findings related to the role of the approximation concept in the first-year calculus could have implications for first-year calculus curricula.