The Introduction of Proof at the Secondary School in Cameroun: A First Approach trough the Study of Quadrilaterals and Triangles in the Textbook
Patrick Tchonang Youkap 1 * , Judith Njomgang Ngansop 1, Daniel Tieudjo 2, Bettina Pedemonte 3
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1 University of Yaounde 1, CAMEROON2 University of Ngoundere, CAMEROON3 San Jose University, USA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to better understand how proof is introduced into the study of quadrilaterals and triangles in high school. To do this, we designed a grid to analyse mathematics textbooks in Cameroon francophone subsystems (7th Grade and 8th Grade). The Anthropological Theory of Didactics and the paradigms in geometry served as a theoretical framework for our analyses. The results of our analysis indicate that problems in the lessons section correspond to guided problems. These kinds of problems do not develop students’ spirit of research and initiative. The authors of the textbook choose to teach the functioning of deductive reasoning in the 8th Grade. They choose to introduce proof in the commented exercise section rather than lessons section. The learning problems proposed in the textbooks contain drawings wish have informative function and representative function. The preponderance of drawings with a representative function that have the same shape and name observed in textbooks can contribute to the construction of constant visual models in students’ minds. This could lead to the superficial use of drawings in proof tasks.

License

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 15, Issue 3, October 2020, Article No: em0599

https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/8404

Publication date: 19 Jul 2020

Article Views: 2016

Article Downloads: 1250

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