The goal of our research program is to explicate the learning of mathematical concepts in ways that are useful for instructional design and to develop design principles based on those explications. I review one type of concept and our elaboration of reflective abstraction, coordination of actions (COA) that accounts for its construction. I then…

Children often learn abstract mathematics concepts with concrete manipulatives. The current study compared different ways of using specific manipulatives -- base-ten blocks -- to support children's place value knowledge. Children (N = 112, M age = 6.88 years) engaged in place value learning activities in one of four randomly assigned conditions in…

This paper reports from a case study which explores kindergarten children's mathematical abstraction in a teaching--learning activity about reflection symmetry. From a dialectical perspective, abstraction is here conceived as a process, as a genuine part of human activity, where the learner establishes "a point of view from which the concrete…

Mathematics teaching and learning goes beyond computations and procedures; it rather includes complex problem-solving and critical thinking. Kilpatrick, Swafford, and Findell (2001) identify five mathematical competencies that are present in mathematics learning: conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, adaptive reasoning, strategic…

In this dissertation study, I report on six middle school students' construction and interpretation of graphs and associated dynamic situations. Constructing and interpreting graphs represents a critical moment in middle school mathematics due to its opportunity to provide a powerful foundation for learning. Nevertheless, researchers have…

The aim of this study was to examine 6th-grade students' mathematical abstraction processes related to the concept of variable by using the teaching experiment method and to reveal their learning trajectories in the context of the RBC+C model. A teaching experiment was administered to a class of 29 middle school students for 3 weeks. Observations,…

Learning trajectories are built upon progressions of mathematical understandings that are typical of the general population of students. As such, they are useful frameworks for exploring how understandings of diverse learners may be similar or different from their peers, which has implications for tailoring instruction. The purpose of this…

Conventional coordinate systems are often considered representational tools for reasoning about mathematical concepts. However, researchers have shown that students experience persistent difficulties as they engage in graphing activity. Using examples from research and textbooks, we present a framework based on a conceptual analysis of the use of…

The initial assumption of this article is that there is an overemphasis on abstraction-from-actions theoretical approaches in research on knowing and learning mathematics. This article uses a critical reflection on research on students' ways of constructing mathematical concepts to distinguish between abstraction-from-actions theoretical…

The purpose of this paper is twofold: On the one hand, this work frames a variety of considerations on cognitive processes underlying mathematical concept construction in two research strands, namely an actions-first strand and an objects-first strand, that mainly shapes past and current approaches on abstraction in learning mathematics. This…

The limit concept plays a foundational role in calculus, appearing in the definitions of the two main ideas of introductory calculus, derivatives and integrals. Previous research has focused on three stages of students' development of limit ideas: the premathematical stage, the introductory calculus stage, and the transition from introductory…

Teachers' knowledge of mathematical content and children's mathematical thinking have been identified as critical elements related to teachers' ability to effectively teach mathematics (Fennema & Franke, 1992; Kazemi & Franke, 2001; Ma, 1999; Peterson, Carpenter, & Fennema, 1989). Literature on teachers' knowledge…

Adult developmental mathematics students often work under great pressure to complete the mathematics sequences designed to help them achieve success (Bryk & Treisman, 2010). Results of a teaching experiment demonstrate how the ability to reason can be impeded by flaws in students' mental representations of mathematics. The earnestness of the…

This study examined whether college students are better able to apply knowledge of simple mathematical concepts when they are taught the concepts using abstract symbols or concrete examples. The research described in this article is consistent with What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. Strengths: The study is a well implemented…

The concern of the experiment is to find out the roles of abstraction and generalization in the learning of mathematical structures. The basic question is whether to generalize before abstracting or vice-versa in order to maximize transfer. The experiment involves four mathematical tasks and a transfer of activity. Experimental procedures are…