THE UNDERSTANDING OF DERIVATE AS THE OBJECT OF INVESTIGATION

IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

ABSTRACT

High school students (16 to 18 years of age) and first year students of calculus in
university have difficulty understanding the notion of the derivative. In this context,
this study reviews and organizes the contributions of studies made in Mathematics
Education to identify the knowledge generated and the areas where it is necessary
to provide information. The review has been structured to consider: a) what is
known about the understanding of the derivative of a function at a point; b) the role
of representation systems; c) the characteristics of the development of the
derivative schema. Lastly, the necessary lines of investigation were identified to
enhance our understanding of how students give meaning and use to the concept
of the derivative.

KEY WORDS: Advanced mathematical thinking, derivative, derivative schema,

knowledge building.

LOCAL AND GLOBAL: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN derivative at a point f

'(a) and the derivative function f' (x)

Another important in understanding the derivative aspect is the relationship

between local and global aspect as a point f '(a) and the idea of derivative function
f' (x), which can go from a point to a global perspective, intervals.

The study did Badillo (2003) reported the existence of different meanings of the
notion of derivative at a point and the derivative function. The graphical
understanding of f (x), f '(a) f' (x), proved to be difficult, as some inconsistencies
were identified as the following:

- The confusion between the derivative at a point x = f '(a) and the derivative
function f' (x).

- The reduction of the symbolic expression of f '(x) to the equation of the tangent
line, and the graph of f' (x) to the tangent line
- Non justifications for the use of direct and indirect techniques shunt (defined in
terms of limit and derivation rules)

The results of the work of Badillo said they understand the idea of function
derivative at one point, f (a), does not understand the idea of involving derivative
function f '(x). However, those subjects who understood the idea of derivative
function, f '(x), seemed to understand the derivative of the function at a point f' (a).

The complexity of the concept of derivative led this researcher to notice that the
understanding of the derivative scheme involves regarding the relationship
between the local (derived at one point) and global (derived function). However,
such a link has not been extensively studied until now, thus raising questions about
how the different approaches that can be emphasized in teaching can determine
the understanding of the relationship as well as the role the different modes
representation to further the understanding of the relationship between local and
global in the development of understanding of derivative schema.

CONCLUSIONS

Research shows that, first, the development of the meanings of the derivative is
linked to the integration of the meanings of the derivative at a point (f '(a)) and the
derivative function (f' (x)), as Badillo (2003) states, as well as the connections
between the graphic and analytical modes (Asiala et al., 1997). For its part, the
work of Baker et al. (2000) suggests that the graphic calculation scheme includes
two schemes: property and stress range allowing on the one hand, the different
levels acquired by students to coordinate chart properties, given by analytical
conditions; on the other, the different levels achieved to link a graphic property
through contiguous intervals.

The review discussed in this article seeks to provide useful information, which
should be round and expanded to studies that address the identified new lines of
research.