Function Machines & Flexible Algebraic Thought.
Gary Ernest Davis, Mercedes A. McGowen · 2002
We explore how college students understand ideas of functions, and which representations are productive for them in promoting their ability to work flexibly across representations. We use preand post-test scores, and triangulations via student self evaluations, to generate a hypothesis related to flexible thinking and success in algebra. We use confidence intervals to provide evidence for a highly significant change in student flexibility in algebraic thinking, and to assist in generating a plausible model of how the use of function machines in a developmental algebra course is instrumental in stimulating that flexibility.