Mexican secondary students’ image of mathematics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48489/quadrante.31946Keywords:
images of mathematics, secondary students, mathematics educationAbstract
This article aims to understand Mexican students’ images of mathematics. The image of mathematics is defined as a mental representation of mathematics and in order to identify it four focal points were established: (1) descriptions of the mathematics learning process; (2) beliefs about the nature of mathematics, (3) appraisals of mathematics, and (4) emotions. Drawings were used as a data collection tool. A group of 138 students drew a picture as a response to the question: What is mathematics? The students’ drawings indicate that mathematics is considered as operations and geometric representations, and value it as a subject to be applied. Furthermore, it was found that students experience emotions of distress and satisfaction due to mathematics. Regarding the learning process, the role of the teacher is prominent in the drawings. Lastly, the article concludes with possible implications for teaching.
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