Undergraduate students are expected to produce and comprehend constructive existence proofs; yet, these proofs are notoriously difficult for students. This study investigates students' thinking about these proofs by asking students to validate two arguments for the existence of a mathematical object. The first argument featured a common structural…

This study illustrates how two secondary mathematics teachers used students' incorrect answers as they supported students' engagement in collective argumentation. Three ways of supporting argumentation when students contributed incorrect answers are exemplified, and the structures of these arguments are investigated. Then, by focusing on the…

The purpose of this resource is to help math teachers unpack, understand, and implement the current math content and practice standards. This resource describes the progressions of learning within each course and provides content support, which includes broad ideas about effective instruction as well as practical instructional strategies. Math…

Constructing formal geometry proofs in is an important topic in the mathematics curriculum. But students' difficulties with proof are well documented. This article focuses on proofs that use triangle congruence postulates in US high school geometry. Examining students' proof reasoning in one-on-one task-based interviews, we analyzed students' oral…

We report on a study conceived with the idea that the use of logic in regard to mathematical reasoning as it actually occurs in practice is not limited to its prominent role in formal deductions and proofs. Interpretation of different mathematical situations elicits in fact the use of mostly unconscious forms of reasoning, close to those of…

Thinking is a tool to construct knowledge in learning mathematics. However, some college students have not been fully aware of the importance of constructing their knowledge. Therefore, this study aims to explore students' thinking processes in completing mathematical proofs through assimilation and accommodation schemes. This research was…

Research in psychology and in mathematics education has documented the ubiquity of "intuition traps" -- tasks that elicit non-normative responses from most people. Researchers in cognitive psychology often view these responses negatively, as a sign of irrational behaviour. Others, notably mathematics educators, view them as necessary…

We study situations in introductory analysis in which students affirmed false statements as true, despite simple counterexamples that they easily recognized afterwards. The study draws attention to how simple counterexamples can become hidden in plain sight, even in an active learning atmosphere where students proposed simple (as well as more…

Learning to write formal mathematical proofs presents a major challenge to undergraduates. Students who have succeeded in algorithm-intensive courses such as calculus often find the abstract logic and nonprocedural nature of proof writing to be technically difficult, ambiguous and "filled" with potential errors and misconceptions. This…

Researchers interested in exploring substantive group differences are increasingly attending to bundles of items (or testlets): the aim is to understand how gender differences, for instance, are explained by differential performances on different types or bundles of items, hence differential bundle functioning (DBF). Some previous work has…

Mathematics teachers play a unique role as experts who provide opportunities for students to engage in the practices of the mathematics community. Proof is a tool essential to the practice of mathematics, and therefore, if teachers are to provide adequate opportunities for students to engage with this tool, they must be able to validate student…

The study investigated teacher knowledge of error analysis in differential calculus. Two teachers were the sample of the study: one a subject specialist and the other a mathematics education specialist. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection. The findings of the study reflect that the teachers' knowledge of error analysis was…

The fact that students have difficulties in constructing proofs is well documented. However, some of these difficulties may be lessened if instructors and students have access to a common evaluation framework. Operating in the theoretical tradition of heuristic inquiry, a proof error evaluation tool (PEET) is constructed that may be used by…

Mathematics departments rarely require students to study very much logic before working with proofs. Normally, the most they will offer is contained in a small portion of a "bridge" course designed to help students move from more procedurally-based lower-division courses (e.g., abstract algebra and real analysis). What accounts for this seeming…

In this paper we describe a number of types of errors and underlying misconceptions that arise in mathematical reasoning. Other types of mathematical reasoning errors, not associated with specific misconceptions, are also discussed. We hope the characterization and cataloging of common reasoning errors will be useful in studying the teaching of…