First-semester calculus students in an experimental reflective-abstraction section outperformed a matched traditional section on a posttest of limits¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3·i3large
Currency · newest study 2013 · checked against its sources 2026-11-02 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i3 Experimental-section students scored significantly higher than traditional-section students on the limits posttest, with a large effect size. → Cappetta 2013
Evidence¶
Cappetta 2013¶
Cappetta, R.W., and Zollman, A. (2013). Agents of Change in Promoting Reflective Abstraction: A Quasi-Experimental Study on Limits in College Calculus. REDIMAT – Journal of Research in Mathematics Education, 2(3), 343-357. https://doi.org/10.4471/redimat.2013.35
q3 · i3 · causal · r2
Quasi-experimental posttest analysis of all 35 participating students (16 experimental, 19 traditional) scored on a two-point rubric. The experimental mean was 21.18 versus 16.95 traditional; "Cohen's d = 0.877 so there was a large effect."
"Using a significance level of p < .05, a one -tailed t-test for equality of means was performed. T he results of the t -test are t (32) = 2.63 and p < .01. Cohen's d = 0.877 so there was a large effect."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Protocol artifacts indicated the experimental curriculum initiated reflective abstraction through all four agents of change, while the traditional instructor initiated it through instructor alone — related
- The posttest advantage of the experimental section remained significant when posttest scores were covaried against pretest scores — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
- In the three-tiered comparison subgroup, the experimental section showed a large effect on written explanation of mathematics, the only measure reaching significance — related
- Students entered the Integral Calculus experiment with near-zero pretest scores, indicating weak prerequisite preparation — related
- Both groups improved from pretest to posttest at the individual level, with the article attributing the experimental group's larger gains to the etudes — related
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