The main goal of the study was to investigate high school advanced placement
calculus teachers' subject matter and pedagogical perceptions by examining the following
questions: What are the teachers' perceptions of the concept of limit, the role of limits,
and the teaching of limits in calculus? Additionally, the sampling technique used shed
some light on the question: Are these teachers' perceptions associated with their
participation in a calculus reform project focused on staff development? A multi-case
study approach involving detailed examination of six teachers (three had participated in a
calculus reform project and three had not participated in any calculus reform project) was
used. The data collected and analyzed included questionnaires, interviews, observational
fieldnotes, videotapes of classroom instruction, journals, and written instructional
documents. Upon completion of the data collection and analysis, detailed teacher profiles
were created with respect to the questions above. The results of this study were then
generated by searching for similarities and differences across the entire sample as well as
comparing and contrasting the group of project teachers and the independent teachers.
The teachers in this study perceived calculus as a linearly ordered set of topics in
which the concept of limit formed the backbone for appreciating and understanding all
other calculus topics. The teachers felt the intuitive understanding of limits was essential
to further understanding of calculus. Nevertheless, little classtime was devoted to
developing an intuitive understanding. Furthermore, little emphasis was given to drawing
connections between limits and subsequent calculus topics. The independent teachers
devoted considerable time to discussing formal epsilon-delta definition and arguments.
The complex relationship between teachers' perceptions and classroom practice appeared
to be affected by the significant influence of the teachers' goals of preparing students for
the advanced placement exam and college calculus and the authority given to the calculus
textbook. Differences between the group of independent teachers and the group of
project teachers were found related to the following factors: (a) commitment to the
textbook, (b) planning, (c) use of multiple representations, (d) attitude toward graphing
technology, (e) classroom atmosphere, (f) examinations, (g) appropriate level of
mathematical rigor needed for teaching calculus, and (h) the stability of perceptions.
These factors, however, were not fully attributed to participation in the calculus reform
project. / Graduation date: 1995
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/34955 |
| Date | 09 February 1995 |
| Creators | Simonsen, Linda M. |
| Contributors | Erickson, Dianne K. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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