College Students’ Views of the Use of Mathematics in a Nonmathematical Context

• In Event: Postsecondary Math and Science Learning and Development

Abstract

"To know is not enough" – is the theme of this conference. Students must not just know mathematics, but also use mathematics. We adapted a framework used by mathematics educators to characterize students’ use of mathematics in physics in a case study with two cohort groups, each from a different physics course. We interviewed seven students from each cohort to characterize the ways in which they described the relationship between mathematics and physics and the meaning and use of physics equations. Our results indicate that students from both classes typically think of equations as tools, with no conceptual underpinning. Students’ descriptions of unfamiliar equations were more diverse than descriptions of familiar equations. We discuss the implications of these results for instruction.

Authors

• Carina Marie Rebello, University of Missouri

• N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University