Abstract
This paper, which is part of a research based on the theoretical framework of the Theory of Conceptual Fields, investigated the performance of first-year undergraduate students attending Exact Sciences courses at the State University of Maringa, Brazil, with regard to the solution of problems in the additive conceptual field. Results obtained by these students evidenced some types of reasoning involved in additive structure that stand as an obstacle to the learning of Mathematics and may interfere with their future studies. Among the three classes that constitute the additive conceptual field proposed by Gerard Vergnaud, transformation problems had the highest rate of unsatisfactory results. However, errors committed by the students were detected in all problems of the diagnostic test. These results underscore the need for a broader discussion in academic environments that takes into account the difficulties in the test with regard to reasoning involving additive structure so that changes in the curricular structures of Exact Sciences courses may be fostered.
Highlights
The Theory of Conceptual Fields (TCF) by Gérard Vergnaud is the theoretical framework founding this research whose objective is to investigate the performance of students admitted to Exact Sciences courses at the Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM) in problems of the additive conceptual field
This study goes beyond the mere mensuration of the knowledge of students attending Exact Sciences courses in college, because it contemplates a broader discussion about possible initial obstacles that may interfere with the performance of these students during their undergraduate studies, having dropout as the main consequence
The concern with the permanence of students in Exact Sciences courses at the UEM has already been the object of a study conducted by Garcia et al (2000) with first-year licentiate students, pointing that Higher Education dropout means an escape, failure or even a search for new horizons, and interferes with both the progress of disciplines and with the pedagogical project of courses, which emphasizes the importance of this discussion within the academic context
Summary
The Theory of Conceptual Fields (TCF) by Gérard Vergnaud is the theoretical framework founding this research whose objective is to investigate the performance of students admitted to Exact Sciences courses at the Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM) in problems of the additive conceptual field. 33, our translation), pointing some concern regarding their interference with “[...] failure and dropout rates in undergraduate courses”1 In this sense, this work used the same diagnostic instrument proposed in Kato et al (2013) and was conducted with 309 freshman students attending Exact Sciences courses at the UEM in 2012, concerning the additive conceptual field, according to three classes – composition, transformation and comparison – proposed by Vergnaud (2009b). Dropout rates in Exact Sciences courses have been turning the focus of some studies to a student’s required skills, such as reading, interpretation, logical reasoning, etc., which interfere with his or her learning process (SILVA FILHO et al, 2007; CURY, 2008) In this context, and considering other studies about the reasoning involved in the additive “[...] índices de reprovação e evasão nos cursos de graduação” The relevance of this study is not restricted solely to the academic community from the UEM, environment where the sample was selected, because we believe that the discussions deriving from the results obtained will contribute to inspiring future researches about skills and competences required for an individual to be able to play his or her role as a professional satisfactorily
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