Research questions

These problems and considerations lead to the following research questions.   Question 1: What conceptions with particular attention to pre- and misconceptions emerge concerning functional thinking of students of lower secondary schools (grade 7/8)?   Question 2: How should dynamic materials be designed to support students of lower secondary schools to develop appropriate mathematical understanding and thus to reduce errors due to pre- and misconceptions concerning functional thinking?   Question 3: What is the influence of dynamic materials on conceptions and internal representations of students of secondary schools particularly with regard to the understanding of the co-variational aspect of functional thinking?

Methods

To answer the research questions, the following methods are chosen. Question 1
  • Diagnostic test 1
  • Diagnostic interviews (Zazkis & Hazzan, 1999; Hunting, 1997)
Question 2
  • Literature on design criteria (Clark & Mayer, 2008)
  • Observation: audio-, video- and screenrecordings
Question 3
  • Observation: audio-, video- and screenrecordings
  • Diagnostic test 2
  • Diagnostic interviews