ScholarLens Back to search
2004•PRIMUSRequires access

CALCULUS STUDENTS' VIEWS OF JUSTIFICATION AND PROOF IN MATHEMATICS

Margaret Morrow

Open publisher page 3 citations

Abstract

Many undergraduate students have difficulty with the transition to proof-based courses in mathematics. This paper discusses students' beliefs about proof and justification in mathematics just prior to entry into such courses. The paper is based on in-depth interviews with students. The data suggests that some students have beliefs that may in part account for their difficulty in proof based courses. In particular, some do not consider that intellectual proof suffices for establishing mathematical truth, some do not expect mathematical justification to give insight into why a statement is true, and some regard the purpose of proof as virtually the same as the purpose of worked examples.

About this research paper

What this paper is about

Many undergraduate students have difficulty with the transition to proof-based courses in mathematics. This paper discusses students' beliefs about proof and justification in mathematics just prior to entry into such courses. The paper is based on in-depth interviews with students. The data suggests that some students have beliefs that may in part account for their difficulty in proof based courses. In particular, some do not consider that intellectual proof suffices for establishing mathematical truth, some do not expect mathematical justification to give insight into why a statement is true, and some regard the purpose of proof as virtually the same as the purpose of worked examples.

Why it matters

OpenAlex reports 3 citations for this work. Citation counts describe recorded attention and do not establish research quality.

Key contribution

A contribution statement is not available in the OpenAlex record.

Method / approach

Method details are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Main findings

Findings are not separately available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Limitations

Limitations are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Applications

Application details are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Available abstract

Many undergraduate students have difficulty with the transition to proof-based courses in mathematics. This paper discusses students' beliefs about proof and justification in mathematics just prior to entry into such courses. The paper is based on in-depth interviews with students. The data suggests that some students have beliefs that may in part account for their difficulty in proof based courses. In particular, some do not consider that intellectual proof suffices for establishing mathematical truth, some do not expect mathematical justification to give insight into why a statement is true, and some regard the purpose of proof as virtually the same as the purpose of worked examples.

Key concepts: Mathematics education, Statement (logic), Computer-assisted proof, Mathematical proof, Calculus (dental), Mathematics, Mathematical logic, Epistemology

Related papers

Related paper 1Related paper 2Related paper 3
Back to paper searchBrowse research topicsOriginal source
CALCULUS STUDENTS' VIEWS OF JUSTIFICATION AND PROOF IN MATHEMATICS — Research Paper | ScholarLens