This study explores how the goals and enactment of three tailored calculus courses, referred to as course variations (standard calculus, life sciences calculus, and physics calculus), at the same university impact students' mathematical identity. In this mixed-methods study, we draw on the framework of figured worlds to interpret how students'…

A few case studies have suggested students' struggles with the "temporal order" of epsilon and delta in the formal limit definition. This study problematizes this hypothesis by exploring students' claims in different contexts and uncovering productive resources from students to make sense of the critical relationship between epsilon and…

A literature review establishes a working definition of recreational mathematics: a type of play which is enjoyable and requires mathematical thinking or skills to engage with. Typically, it is accessible to a wide range of people and can be effectively used to motivate engagement with and develop understanding of mathematical ideas or concepts.…

In spite of sustained efforts tertiary institutions implement to try and improve student academic performance, the number of students succeeding in first-year mathematics courses remains disturbingly low. For most students, the gap between their mathematical capability and the competencies they are expected and need to develop to function…

This paper explores the ways students perceive the transfer of learned knowledge to new situations -- often a surprisingly difficult prospect. The novel aspect compared to the traditional transfer studies is that the learning phase is not a part of the experiment itself. The intention was only to activate acquired knowledge relevant to the…

We report on the survey responses of 51 students attending mathematics bridging courses at a major Australian university, investigating what mathematics, if any, these students had studied in the senior years of schooling and what factors affected their decisions about the level of mathematics chosen. Quantitative findings are augmented by…

During the past decade three different bridging mathematics courses have been offered at the University of Auckland. A case study approach was used to investigate the effectiveness of these courses: two larger courses and one individual study programme. A different teaching approach, by committed experienced teachers, was used in each course. The…