Oates-Reaburn-Brideson-Dharmasada-Threshold Concepts-final sent.doc (414 kB)
Understanding of limits and differentiation as threshold concepts in a first-year mathematics course
conference contribution
posted on 2023-05-23, 12:50 authored by Greg OatesGreg Oates, Robyn ReaburnRobyn Reaburn, Michael BridesonMichael Brideson, Hettiarachchilae DharmadasaThreshold concepts remain relatively unexplored in mathematics, despite suggestions that the troublesome nature of such concepts pose a critical barrier to student understanding of mathematics. Many studies have identified student difficulties with limits, and their findings point to a strong likelihood that limits do indeed constitute a threshold concept in mathematics. This paper describes the initial results in a study that sought to investigate students’ understanding of limits and differentiation from the prospective of Threshold Concepts. While the findings to date do not provide conclusive evidence for limits as a threshold concept, they do reinforce the troublesome nature of the limit concept, and suggest some important implications for the teaching of limits consistent with previous studies.
History
Publication title
Proceedings of the Eleventh Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and StatisticsEditors
IM HammesPagination
108-120ISBN
978-85-8167-237-3Department/School
Faculty of EducationPublisher
Delta ConferencesPlace of publication
AustraliaEvent title
The Eleventh Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and StatisticsEvent Venue
Rio Grande do Sul, BrazilDate of Event (Start Date)
2017-11-26Date of Event (End Date)
2017-12-01Rights statement
Copyright 2017 the AuthorRepository Status
- Open