PROCEEDINGS OF THE 15TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 1)
2012
Portland, Oregon
A Study of Abstract Algebra Textbooks
Page: 1-83
This study uses reader-oriented theory and the analysis of example spaces to understand abstract algebra textbooks. Textbooks can lay the foundation for a course and greatly influence student understanding of the material. Multiple undergraduate abstract algebra texts were studied to investigate potential audiences of the books, the level of detail in explanations, examples, and proofs, and the overall material included in the book. Conclusions were drawn regarding some discrepancies between the intended reader and the implied reader and the appropriateness and differences among example spaces.