DCAD

Eliza Gallagher, PhD

Current Research Projects

Derivative Conceptualizations Across Disciplines (DCAD)

The concept of the derivative is foundational in STEM disciplines. In this project, we are building on Michelle Zandieh's framework [1] for derivative conceptualization to explore the differences in ways that mathematicians and engineers conceptualize and make use of the derivative.

The first stage of this work will form the core of graduate student Tony Nguyen's dissertation.

Phase I: Phenomenographical study of derivative conceptualizations among engineering and mathematics freshmen in Calculus I

Phase II: Comparative case study of derivative conceptualizations between mathematicians, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, civil engineers, and chemical engineers.

Phase III: Longitudinal study tracking Phase I participants to observe changes to derivative conceptualization through acculturation in the discipline, using a lens of cognitive apprenticeship to identify factors associated with persistence in, or departure from, the discipline.

Project Team Members: Eliza Gallagher, Tony Nguyen, Dr. Marisa Orr (Engineering & Science Education; Mechanical Engineering), Dr. Neil Calkin (Mathematical Sciences)

Michelle Zandieh. A theoretical framework for analyzing student understanding of the concept of derivative. In Ed Dubinsky, Alan Schoenfeld, and Jim Kaput, editors, Research in Collegiate Mathematics Education IV, volume 8 of Issues in Mathematics Education, pages 103{127. Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, 2000.

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