PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2015
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Domain, co-domain and causation: A study of Britney’s conception of function
Page: 878
Function has been shown to be an important, but difficult concept for students to master (Carlson, Oehrtman & Engelke, 2010; Dubinsky & Harel, 1992). Through a clinical interview with a preservice mathematics teacher, I characterize the ways in which her function definition is able to account for novel relationships between quantities. Utilizing APOS theory, I find that though she is able to exhibit a process view of function, the student struggles to reconcile her definition of function with her intuitions about domain/co-domain and causation. The research is part of a larger study examining the ways in which preservice teachers define function affect their ability to accommodate novel contexts and representations.