Using computer programming to teach undergraduates abstraction and generalization
James A. Jerkins, Cynthia L. Stenger, Janet T. Jenkins, Jessica Stovall · Journal of computing sciences in colleges · 2014
Students have difficulty with concepts that require mathematical reasoning such as abstraction and generalization. Efforts to improve instruction often do not take into consideration how students learn. Often times the unintentional expectation communicated to the student is to mimic the behavior of the teacher. A more fruitful approach may be to consider the mental processes by which abstract concepts are acquired.