Options
Students’ abilities in solving non-routine problems in calculus
Citation
Tang, W. K., & Lim-Teo, S. K. (1999). Students’ abilities in solving non-routine problems in calculus. In S. P. Loo (Ed.), Proceedings of the MERA-ERA Joint Conference 1999: Educational Challenges in the New Millennium (pp. 953-961). Malaysian Educational Research Association; Educational Research Association (Singapore).
Author
Tang, Wee Kee
•
Lim-Teo, Suat Khoh
Abstract
Calculus is one of the branches of Mathematics in which the concepts are difficult to understand but the techniques are easy to apply. Students who have been taking an “applying algorithmic skills” approach before coming to the University thus have problems with University level Calculus where the approach is rather more abstract. This paper reports on a study conducted to find out if first year undergraduate students from the National Institute of Education, Singapore, were able to solve novel problems in Calculus by applying their understanding of Calculus concepts. Our study shows that students with good grades in traditional examinations need not be good in solving of novel problems. Conversely, students with lower grades can solve novel problem with correct understanding of the concepts.
Date Issued
1999
Description
This paper was published in the 1999 Proceedings of the MERA-ERA Joint Conference held at Malacca, Malaysia from 1-3 December 1999