Students' Understanding of the Concept of Vertex of Quadratic Functions in Relation to Their Personal Meaning of the Concept of Vertex

Autor/inn/en	Childers, Annie Burns; Vidakovic, Draga
Titel	Students' Understanding of the Concept of Vertex of Quadratic Functions in Relation to Their Personal Meaning of the Concept of Vertex
Quelle	In: International Journal for Mathematics Teaching and Learning, (2014), (33 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1473-0111
Schlagwörter	Mathematical Concepts; Algebra; Word Problems (Mathematics); Concept Formation; Problem Solving; Computation; Qualitative Research; College Mathematics; Mathematical Models; Undergraduate Students; Mathematics Tests; Misconceptions + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Textaufgabe; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; Problemlösen; Qualitative Forschung; Mathematical model; Mathematisches Modell; Missverständnis
Abstract	This paper explores sixty-six students' personal meaning and interpretation of the vertex of a quadratic function in relation to their understanding of quadratic functions in two different representations, algebraic and word problem. Several categories emerged from students' personal meaning of the vertex including vertex as maximum or minimum (highest or lowest point), vertex in relation to symmetry, vertex as a starting point or turning point, vertex as an intercept, vertex as an intersection, and miscellaneous. These categories are explored in relation to how the students were able to solve two problems, one an explicit computation, and the other a real world application problem of the vertex. The students' responses were analyzed according to the action-process-object-schema (APOS) theoretical framework (Asiala et al., 1996). Results indicate that it may be useful to explore students' personal meanings of the vertex to help them overcome conceptual obstacles, as well as to emphasize the use and application of the vertex of a quadratic function in real world problems. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching. 5th Floor Rolle Building, Faculty of Education University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK. Tel: +44-1752-585346; Fax: +44-1752-585344; e-mail: feedback@cimt.org.uk; Web site: http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/journal/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10