The antiderivative understanding by students in the first university courses

Abstract

ABSTARCT: In this article, we present the results of a questionnaire designed to evaluate college students’ understanding of the antiderivative. Specifically, by civil engineering students when answering the questionnaire’ tasks, in order to identify and characterize the meanings on the antiderivative that are mobilized by them. In order to analyse the answers given, we used some theoretical and methodological notions provided by the theoretical model known as the Onto-Semiotic Approach (OSA) of mathematics cognition and instruction. The results show knowledge of antiderivative by the Civil Engineering students. Furthermore, the comparison between the mathematical activity of students provides information that allows concluding that the meanings that they mobilized might be shared among their communities.