Characterization of Inductive Reasoning in Middle School Mathematics Teachers in a Generalization Task

Landy Elena Sosa Moguel; Eddie Aparicio Landa; Guadalupe Cabañas-Sánchez

doi:10.29333/iejme/5769

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Landy Elena Sosa Moguel ¹ ² ^* , Eddie Aparicio Landa ¹ ², Guadalupe Cabañas-Sánchez ¹

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¹ Autonomous University of Guerrero, MEXICO² Autonomous University of Yucatan, MEXICO^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This paper reports on the characterization of the inductive reasoning used by middle school mathematics teachers to solve a task of generalization of a quadratic pattern. The data was collected from individual interviews and the written answers to the generalization task. The analysis was based on the representations and justifications used to move from particular cases to the formulation of the general rule. Three processes characterize the inductive reasoning of the mathematics teachers to obtain a general rule: observation of regularities, establishment of a pattern and formulation of a generalization; while some teachers revealed problems in moving from the observation of regularities to the formulation of a generalization. Therefore, some difficulties in generalizing associated with these processes are also mentioned.

Keywords

inductive processes
task
mathematical generalization
teachers

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INT ELECT J MATH ED, Volume 14, Issue 3, October 2019, 563-581

https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5769

Publication date: 10 May 2019

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How to cite this article

APA

Sosa Moguel, L. E., Aparicio Landa, E., & Cabañas-Sánchez, G. (2019). Characterization of Inductive Reasoning in Middle School Mathematics Teachers in a Generalization Task. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 14(3), 563-581. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5769

Vancouver

Sosa Moguel LE, Aparicio Landa E, Cabañas-Sánchez G. Characterization of Inductive Reasoning in Middle School Mathematics Teachers in a Generalization Task. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2019;14(3):563-81. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5769

AMA

Sosa Moguel LE, Aparicio Landa E, Cabañas-Sánchez G. Characterization of Inductive Reasoning in Middle School Mathematics Teachers in a Generalization Task. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2019;14(3), 563-581. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5769

Chicago

Sosa Moguel, Landy Elena, Eddie Aparicio Landa, and Guadalupe Cabañas-Sánchez. "Characterization of Inductive Reasoning in Middle School Mathematics Teachers in a Generalization Task". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education 2019 14 no. 3 (2019): 563-581. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5769

Harvard

Sosa Moguel, L. E., Aparicio Landa, E., and Cabañas-Sánchez, G. (2019). Characterization of Inductive Reasoning in Middle School Mathematics Teachers in a Generalization Task. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 14(3), pp. 563-581. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5769

MLA

Sosa Moguel, Landy Elena et al. "Characterization of Inductive Reasoning in Middle School Mathematics Teachers in a Generalization Task". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, vol. 14, no. 3, 2019, pp. 563-581. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5769