Abstract
Striving to make calculus more meaningful for students, recent calculus reform initiatives have shifted emphasis from rote memorisation and symbol manipulation to conceptual understanding and practical application. But is reform calculus making a difference? This study compares outcomes of a traditional and a reform calculus course in terms of students’ retention of basic concepts and skills after the passage of time. Although traditional and reform students did not differ statistically in overall performance, reform students retained better conceptual knowledge and traditional students retained better procedural knowledge. Reform calculus students also demonstrated that concepts can be understood before computational competence is achieved.
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Gamer, B.E., Gamer, L.E. Retention of concepts and skills in traditional and reformed applied calculus. Math Ed Res J 13, 165–184 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03217107
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03217107