PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2015
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
A comparison of self-inquiry in the context of mathematical problem solving
Page: 558
Self-inquiry is the process of posing questions to oneself while solving a problem. The self- inquiry of thirteen undergraduate mathematics students and one mathematics professor was explored. Student self-inquiry was explored via structured interviews requiring the solution of both mathematical and non-mathematical problems. The professor’s self-inquiry was explored through self-reporting of questions asked in an advanced problem-solving context. Using transcripts of the student interviews, a coding scheme for questions posed was developed and all questions were coded. Data analysis of the posed questions suggests that the “good” mathematics students focus more questions on legitimizing their work and fewer questions on specification of the problem-solving task. Data analysis of the professor’s self-inquiry is ongoing and will be compared and contrasted to that of the undergraduates.