PROCEEDINGS OF THE 15TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 1)
2012
Portland, Oregon
Examining Students’ Mathematical Transition Between Secondary School and University: Working With Vectors and Linear Independence
Page: 1-403
To understand the mathematical transition students make between secondary school and the university requires an in-depth look at the mathematical topics students learn at the time of this transition and the contextual, institutional changes that simultaneously occur. This report explores how linear algebra students at both the secondary school and university in Germany understand vectors and linear independence and dependence in the course of video-recorded, think-aloud problem-solving interviews. Analysis of these interviews indicates not only differences in mathematical content and sophistication between secondary school and university students, but also in students’ disposition, particularly towards new mathematical experiences. A look at more informal data about the various institutional environments, the Gymnasium and the University, provides a potential reason for these differences. This report concludes with a discussion on how to create a blended analysis of these individual understandings and dispositions and their relationship with the institutional context as a better means of understanding the transition to university-level mathematics.