Mathematics majors' beliefs about proof reading

• Autores: Keith Weber, Juan Pablo Mejías Ramos
• Localización: International journal of mathematical education in science and technology, ISSN 0020-739X, Vol. 45, Nº. 1, 2014, págs. 89-103
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • We argue that mathematics majors learn little from the proofs they read in their advanced mathematics courses because these students and their teachers have different perceptions about students� responsibilities when reading a mathematical proof. We used observations from a qualitative study where 28 undergraduates were observed evaluating mathematical arguments to hypothesize that mathematics majors hold four specific unproductive beliefs about proof reading. We then conducted a survey about these beliefs with 175 mathematics majors and 83 mathematicians. We found that mathematics majors were more likely to believe that when reading a good proof, they are not expected to construct justifications and diagrams, they can understand most proofs they read within 15 minutes, and understanding a proof is tantamount to being able to justify each step in the proof.