The discursive footprint of learning across mathematical domains: The case of the tangent line

Biza, Irene ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1727-3884 (2021) The discursive footprint of learning across mathematical domains: The case of the tangent line. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 62. ISSN 0732-3123

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Abstract

This paper employs the commognitive frame (Sfard, 2008) to investigate how experiences with tangents across mathematical domains leave their marks on students’ subsequent work with tangents. To this aim, I introduce the notion of the discursive footprint of tangents and its characteristics by reviewing how tangents are used across mathematical domains in school textbooks. Manifestations of this footprint were sought in 182 undergraduate mathematics students’ responses to a questionnaire about tangents by labelling their responses and by identifying patterns in the endorsed narratives. Manifestations include the identification of characteristics of sole (and combination of) discourses (geometry, algebra, calculus, mathematical analysis) in student responses. Five themes emerged from the analysis: apparent replication of word use in different narratives; geometry-local hybrid discourse; endorsement of conflicting narratives; enrichment of familiar narratives with new words; and, mathematical analysis as a subsuming discourse. Finally, I discuss the potency of the discursive footprint in research and teaching.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: commognition,discursive footprint,mathematical discourse,precedents,subsuming discourses,tangent line,education,applied psychology,applied mathematics ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3304
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Education and Lifelong Learning
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Research in Mathematics Education
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 19 Apr 2021 23:50
Last Modified: 23 Oct 2022 02:23
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/79818
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmathb.2021.100870

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