Levels of generalization in the objectification of the recursion step

Abstract

In this study, we focus on the students’ objectification of the recursion step, intended as a process of generalization in the sense of Radford (2001). Building on Radford’s model, we elaborate levels of generalization of the recursion step and use them to analyze the processes activated by secondary school students during collaborative activities with geometric recursive sequences. The analysis allows us to identify different levels reached by the students in grasping the recursion step and their transitions between these levels.