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Understanding of limits and differentiation as threshold concepts in a first-year mathematics course

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conference contribution
posted on 2023-05-23, 12:50 authored by Greg OatesGreg Oates, Robyn ReaburnRobyn Reaburn, Michael BridesonMichael Brideson, Hettiarachchilae Dharmadasa
Threshold 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 Statistics

Editors

IM Hammes

Pagination

108-120

ISBN

978-85-8167-237-3

Department/School

Faculty of Education

Publisher

Delta Conferences

Place of publication

Australia

Event title

The Eleventh Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics

Event Venue

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Date of Event (Start Date)

2017-11-26

Date of Event (End Date)

2017-12-01

Rights statement

Copyright 2017 the Author

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

Pedagogy

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