A Trio of Courses to Support Mathematics Transfer Students’ Development of Professional Vision
Sarah A. Roberts 1 * , Hannali Pajela 1
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1 University of California, Santa Barbara, USA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study explored the development of professional vision as related to transfer students becoming upper division, four-year mathematics students. We drew from qualitative focus groups with 21 participants at a four-year research university, who were enrolled in a trio of concurrent transitional mathematics courses. We examined the development of professional vision in three areas: engaging in proof and problem solving, being a member of a university mathematics community, and finding a future in mathematics. We found that students developed professional vision related to proof and problem solving, including experiences that were more abstract, more proof-based, and more problem solving-based. Development of community as part of the students’ professional vision was embedded throughout the cohort model, a noteworthy aspect of the trio of courses. Finally, students’ professional vision around finding a future in mathematics developed around future careers in mathematics, as well as students’ access to and knowledge of future career opportunities. Ultimately, diminished timelines exacerbated many of students’ struggles, as related to professional vision or otherwise.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, 2022, Volume 18, Issue 3, Article No: em2086

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/11728

Publication date: 09 Feb 2022

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