Use of CAS in secondary school: a factor influencing the transition to university-level mathematics?

Autores: Cristina Varsavsky
Localización: International journal of mathematical education in science and technology, ISSN 0020-739X, Vol. 43, Nº. 1, 2012, págs. 33-42
Idioma: inglés
DOI: 10.1080/0020739x.2011.582179
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Resumen
- Australian secondary school systems offer three levels of senior (year 12) mathematics studies, none of them compulsory: elementary, intermediate and advanced. The intermediate and advanced studies prepare students for further mathematics studies at university level. In the state of Victoria, there are two versions of intermediate mathematics: one where students learn and are examined with a computer algebra system (CAS) and another where students can only use scientific calculators. This study compares the performance of 1240 students as they transitioned to traditional university-level mathematics and according to whether they learned intermediate mathematics with or without the assistance of a CAS. This study concludes that students without CAS show a slight advantage, but the most important factor affecting student performance is the uptake of advanced-level mathematics studies in secondary school.