Communication Competence in Mathematics: Analysis of the Evolution of Calculus Student Skills throughout their Freshmen Year

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze if freshmen evolve throughout the year in the communication of a statement, result or mathematical text considering three semiotic registers of representation, the natural, the graphic and the symbolic ones. This paper presents a study carried out throughout the school year 2018 on the performance of students in the communication competence in Mathematics. The issues on calculus in one variable, on the specialties of Industrial Engineering and Electronic Engineering at the Facultad Regional San Nicolas, Universidad Tecnologica Nacional (FRSN-UTN) from Argentina, were considered. For the collection of data associated with the students' productions, four assessments were carried out. Among other skills, Engineering students must be able to effectively use and articulate the external representations needed to communicate mathematical ideas: spoken language, written symbols, drawings or physical objects. Although during the first semester the results were alarming in the three registers of representation, mainly for Industrial Engineering, it can be seen that during the second semester the number of unsatisfactory starts to decrease, finishing both courses with small differences. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.4.3