Backward Transfer: An Investigation of the Influence of Quadratic Functions Instruction on Students' Prior Ways of Reasoning About Linear Functions

摘要

The transfer of learning has been the subject of much scientific inquiry in the social sciences. However, mathematics education research has given little attention to a subclass called backward transfer, which is when learning about new concepts influences learners' ways of reasoning about previously encountered concepts. This study examined when and in what ways a quadratic functions instructional unit productively influenced middle school students' ways of reasoning about linear functions. Results showed that students' ways of reasoning about essential properties of linear functions were productively influenced. Furthermore, conceptual connections were identified linking changes in students' ways of reasoning about linear functions to what they learned during the quadratics unit. These findings suggest that it is possible to productively influence learners' ways of reasoning about previously learned-about concepts in significant respects while teaching them new material and that backward transfer offers promise as a new focus for mathematics education research.