Agents of Change in Promoting Reflective Abstraction: A Quasi-Experimental, Study on Limits in College Calculus
We measured student performance on the concept of limit by promoting reflection through four agents of change: instructor, peer, curriculum and individual. It is based on Piaget’s four constructs of reflective abstraction: interiorization, coordination, encapsulation, and generalization, and includ...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Hipatia Press
2013-10-01
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| Series: | REDIMAT |
| Online Access: | https://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/redimat/article/view/467 |
| Summary: | We measured student performance on the concept of limit by promoting reflection through four agents of change: instructor, peer, curriculum and individual. It is based on Piaget’s four constructs of reflective abstraction: interiorization, coordination, encapsulation, and generalization, and includes the notion of reversal, as refined into a construct by Dubinsky. Our quasi-experimental study examined the performance of two sections of first-semester calculus students at a midwestern community college. Scores by students in the experimental section were significantly higher than scores by students in the control traditional section on a posttest of limits. A deeper examination of a three-tiered subgroup showed the reflective abstraction section had moderate effect size on mathematical knowledge and strategic knowledge and a large effect size on explanation.
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| ISSN: | 2014-3621 |