Abstract

DISTEFANO, María Laura; AZNAR, María Andrea  and  POCHULU, Marcel David. Mathematical practices and semiotic functions in the meaning of symbolic representations of higher mathematics. Rev. electrón. investig. educ. cienc. [online]. 2016, vol.11, n.2, pp.1-15. ISSN 1850-6666.

This paper discusses some mathematical practices and semiotic functions linked to the construction of meaning of certain mathematical symbols. These symbols have the particular feature of having no use outside the mathematical field, but are frequently used in higher mathematics courses, even though they are not usually a teaching subject. As a theoretical and methodological framework of the research, were considered the Ontosemiotic Approach to Cognition and Mathematical Instruction and the Theory of Semiotic Registers and. From this framework, a test was developed as a tool to investigate about the students' practices of reading and writing symbolic expressions. Initially, the test was designed and administered to 41 freshmen of Engineering careers, and at a later stage and with an improvement, was administered to 101 freshmen of the Engineering carrers, Biochemistry, Mathematics and Biology, of the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (Argentina). Semiotic functions were identified and defined, covering nominal, syntactic and semantic aspects, as tools for the analysis. These functions are derived from the practices involved in the construction of meaning, and they allow to describe and characterize the process of meaning construction of these algebraic symbols, showing the network of relationships that a student brings into play when performing cognitive processes involved in the meaning of symbolic expressions.

Keywords : Mathematical practices; Semiotic functions; Mathematical symbols.

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