Research in Collegiate Mathematics Education III

Presents research on understanding, teaching, and learning mathematics at the post-secondary level. This work includes three articles analyzing aspects of Schoenfeld's undergraduate problem-solving instruction. It features a variety of methods used to examine students' understanding of the concept of a function and selected concepts from calculus.

Volume III of Research in Collegiate Mathematics Education (RCME) presents state-of-the-art research on understanding, teaching, and learning mathematics at the post-secondary level. This volume contains information on methodology and research concentrating on these areas of student learning: Problem solving - included here are three different articles analyzing aspects of Schoenfeld''s undergraduate problem-solving instruction. The articles provide new detail and insight on a well-known and widely discussed course taught by Schoenfeld for many years. Understanding concepts - these articles feature a variety of methods used to examine students'' understanding of the concept of a function and selected concepts from calculus. The conclusions presented offer unique and interesting perspectives on how students learn concepts.Understanding proofs - this section provides insight from a distinctly psychological framework. Researchers examine how existing practices can foster certain weaknesses. They offer ways to recognize and interpret students'' proof behaviors and suggest alternative practices and curricula to build more powerful schemes. The section concludes with a focused look at using diagrams in the course of proving a statement.