We investigated understanding of the linear independence concept based on the type and nature of connections displayed in seven non-mathematics majors' interview responses to a set of open-ended questions. Through a qualitative analysis, we identified six categories of frequently displayed connections. There were also recognizable differences in…

Recent educational studies in mathematics seek to justify a thesis that there is a conflict between students' intuitions regarding infinity and the standard theory of infinite numbers. On the contrary, we argue that students' intuitions do not match but to Cantor's theory, not to any theory of infinity. To this end, we sketch ways of measuring…

This survey paper presents recent relevant research in mathematics education produced in Spain, which allows the identification of different broad lines of research developed by Spanish groups of scholars. First, we present and describe studies whose research objectives are related to student learning of specific curricular contents and…

Teaching and learning Calculus concepts and procedures, particularly the definite integral concept, is a challenge for teachers and students in their academic careers. In this research, we supplement the analysis made by different authors, applying the theoretical and methodological tools of the Onto-Semiotic Approach to mathematical knowledge and…

The article is dedicated to solving extrema problems in teaching mathematics, without using calculus. We present and discuss a wide variety of mathematical extrema tasks where the extrema are obtained and find their solutions without resorting to differential. Particular attention is paid to the role of arithmetic and geometric means inequality in…

This paper reports the results of a research exploring the mathematical connections of pre-university students while they solving tasks which involving rates of change. We assume mathematical connections as a cognitive process through which a person finds real relationships between two or more ideas, concepts, definitions, theorems, procedures,…

Why would anyone think of teaching and learning mathematics directly from primary historical sources? We aim to answer this question while sharing our own experiences, and those of our students across several decades. We will first describe the evolution of our motivation for teaching with primary sources, and our current view of the advantages…

The educational laws establish an organization and a grouping of the contents of the educational system they rule. As far as we know, the set of experts who design it neither follow precise objective criteria nor use computer tools. That is why they are not usually rotund. We consider that defining precise objective criteria is the key to develop…