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<p>The general purpose of this dissertation is to define and explore what mathematical problem solving entails. Seven criteria for rich problems will also be formulated. Rich problems are defined as problems which are especially constructed for mathematics education in a school context. The first part of the dissertation presents a sketch of what mathematical problem solving can entail in the teaching and learning process. The second part of the dissertation is a presentation and analysis of two ´rich´ problems. The analysis points out where mathematical ideas - concepts, procedures, conventions, strategies and formulae – appear in a problem solving process. The dissertation concludes with examples of the ways in which pupils and teachers together create occasions to utilize accepted mathematical ideas as well as the new range of ideas they devise in order to solve the problems. The concept of ´rich problems´ enables pupils with different mathematical backgrounds and capabilities to work with the same problem and solve it with various mathematical ideas. Research methods have included video- and audio recordings, stimulated recall with pupils and teachers, interviews and pupils drawings.</p>

The general purpose of this dissertation is to define and explore what mathematical problem solving entails. Seven criteria for rich problems will also be formulated. Rich problems are defined as problems which are especially constructed for mathematics education in a school context. The first part of the dissertation presents a sketch of what mathematical problem solving can entail in the teaching and learning process. The second part of the dissertation is a presentation and analysis of two ´rich´ problems. The analysis points out where mathematical ideas - concepts, procedures, conventions, strategies and formulae – appear in a problem solving process. The dissertation concludes with examples of the ways in which pupils and teachers together create occasions to utilize accepted mathematical ideas as well as the new range of ideas they devise in order to solve the problems. The concept of ´rich problems´ enables pupils with different mathematical backgrounds and capabilities to work with the same problem and solve it with various mathematical ideas. Research methods have included video- and audio recordings, stimulated recall with pupils and teachers, interviews and pupils drawings.

This research is primarily concerned with the on-going development of the secondary mathematics curriculum in The Bahamas. In order to determine whether pupils assimilated mathematical ideas into a schematic structure, and could retrieve and use them as final behaviours outlined in the syllabuses, data from two diagnostic tests administered to pupils of 13+ and 15+ years respectively, were analysed. For the former age range, 377 pupils completed an Objective Test containing 50 items and for the latter age range 241 pupils attempted a Choice-Type Test with the instruction to choose any 10 of the total of 14 questions [continued]…