Understanding on Strategies of Teaching Mathematical Proof for Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Many researches revealed that many students have difficulties in constructing proofs. Based on our empirical data, we develop a quadrant model to describe students\u27 classification of proof result. The quadrant model classifies a students\u27 proof construction based on the result of mathematical thinking. The aim of this article is to describe a students\u27 comprehension of proof based on the quadrant model in order to give appropriate suggested learning. The research is an explorative research and was conducted on 26 students majored in mathematics education in public university in Banten province, Indonesia. The main instrument in explorative research was researcher itself. The support instruments are proving-task and interview guides. These instruments were validated from two lecturers in order to guarantee the quality of instruments.Based on the results, some appropriate learning activities should be designed to support the students\u27 characteristics from each quadrant, i.e: a hermeneutics approach, using the two-column form method, learning using worked-example, or using structural method