Abstract
M.Ed. (Subject Didactics)
The ideal in education is that the curriculum provided (by the
teacher) and the curriculum received (by the pupil), as originally
drafted by the designers, should agree. However, there are indications
that this ideal is often not achieved in the teaching of Mathematics,
the reason being, inter alia, the backlog in the subject arising from
inadequate knowledge as a result of misconceptions in regard to
certain basic concepts. Misconceptions among pupils indicate that the
shaping of understanding and mastering the concepts have been
inadequate. It should be kept in mind that frame of reference and
world view are peculiar to each pupil and will be utilized by him for
interpreting and processing new concepts. It is therefore essential
that the world view of the pupil should be investigated as being the
factor which is probably basic to the problem of misconception. The
point of departure is therefore that pupils have divergent world
views, which invariably affect their understanding of Mathematics.
Throughout the ages misconceptions were inextricably part of natural
science in general and Mathematics in particular. During modern times,
since the 1960s, Boyd has paved the way for reflection regarding
misconceptions in natural scientific teaching by using the term
"unfounded beliefs", and the attention was actively drawn to the
problems surrounding misconceptions. Terms now mostly used as synonyms
for misconceptions are conceptual framework, alternative frameworks,
and alternative conceptions...