Journal on Mathematics Education
Vol. 12 No. 2 (2021): Journal on Mathematics Education

Secondary school mathematics teachers’ perceptions about inductive reasoning and their interpretation in teaching

Sosa-Moguel, Landy (Unknown)
Aparicio-Landa, Eddie (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
01 May 2021

Abstract

Inductive reasoning is an essential tool for teaching mathematics to generate knowledge, solve problems, and make generalizations. However, little research has been done on inductive reasoning as it applies to teaching mathematical concepts in secondary school. Therefore, the study explores secondary school teachers’ perceptions of inductive reasoning and interprets this mathematical reasoning type in teaching the quadratic equation. The data were collected from a questionnaire administered to 22 teachers and an interview conducted to expand their answers. Through the thematic analysis method, it was found that more than half the teachers perceived inductive reasoning as a process for moving from the particular to the general and as a way to acquire mathematical knowledge through questioning. Because teachers have little clarity about inductive phases and processes, they expressed confusion about teaching the quadratic equation inductively. Results indicate that secondary school teachers need professional learning experiences geared towards using inductive reasoning processes and tasks to form concepts and generalizations in mathematics.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jme

Publisher

Subject

Education Mathematics Social Sciences Other

Description

The Journal on Mathematics Education (JME) is an international electronic journal that provides a platform for publishing original research articles, systematic literature reviews (invited contributions), and short communications related to mathematics education. The whole spectrum of research in ...