Interpreting a Graph and Constructing its Derivative Graph Stability and Change in Students Conceptions

This present study investigated engineering students’ conceptions and misconceptions related to derivative, particularly interpreting the graph of a function and constructing its derivative graph. Participants were 147 first year engineering students from four universities enrolled in first year undergraduate calculus courses with or without the incorporation of computers for the purposes of seeing the power of visualization, investigating worked examples given in steps and solving various questions related to the worked examples, assisting conceptual understanding, and/or providing feedback besides lectures in the classroom. Students were tested before and after being exposed to instruction on differentiation and integration by a diagnostic test measuring their understanding of major aspects of calculus. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 18 students. Analyses of the results revealed that A-level student's performance was improving more than non-A-level students, particularly in computer groups. The analyses of the students’ written and oral responses in all groups indicated that prototypes, poor understanding of the notion of limit, confusion between the process and the product, and difficulties in using graphical information to give meaning to symbolic representation account for the errors and the misconceptions identifie