Reading to Learn in Undergraduate Mathematics
by
Therese M. Boustead
University of Canterbury

Reading to understand mathematics is an advanced skill in which we expect our undergraduate students to be proficient. Unfortunately this does not appear to be a skill that is developed in secondary schools where texts emphasise procedures rather than concept understanding. This paper combines results from two different projects. As part of an intensive study involving interviews, pre-tests and post-tests, pairs of students were taped as they read and tried to understand a set text. In another project 374 mainstream mathematics students were given an extract to read in class. These students then completed a questionnaire relating to their reading process and answered written questions designed to determine `depth of understanding' in terms of main ideas and details. Overall, depth of understanding varied with the reading process used and the results highlighted poor development in reading and understanding the ideas behind formal symbolic expressions.

Date received: June 7, 1998