The development of derivative schema

Abstract

The goal of this research is the study of development of understanding of derivative concept in bachillerato (16-18 years old) and the fi rst University course. We considered the triad mechanism introduced by Piaget y García (1983, 1989). This mechanism distinguishes three stages in the development of a schema: Intra, Inter, Trans. The results show that the development of derivative schema isn’t only linked to the knowledge of many concept elements but also the capacity to establish relationships among them during problem solving. The analysis achieved that each student was assigned to one stage in the development of derivative schema. The synthesis idea is used to understand the development of derivative schema in the results.