- Title
- Modelling diversity in abstract algebra textbooks
- Creator
- Shaheed, Hassnaa Hasan
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2020
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- In this work, the diversity of abstract algebra textbooks is studied, in terms of whether it can be modelled, and the potential importance of this diversity for teaching and learning. A Grounded Theory methodology is employed, along with some other techniques, to develop models which illuminate this diversity. A key concept created within this work is the idea of the `terrain' of a text. The word is intended to connote the idea that reading a book is a journey. Different readers can see different terrains in the same book. This has implications for teaching and learning, and how teachers may be able to help students see those aspects of the terrain of a text that will be most useful for them in their learning. In this thesis, I have built two models called FENS and BAFENS. The first expresses terrain in terms of `functionalities' called Facts, Explanation, Notation, and Signposting respectively. The second prefaces the functionalities in the first with `Behaviour' and `Affect', because those categories are so important and to the teaching and learning of abstract algebra. These models allow visualisation of `terrain'. Both models are challenged with data from abstract algebra textbooks, and both models survive this challenge. The FENS and BAFENS models have then been used in this work to create different `prototype readers'. These models express different perspectives with which real readers might read abstract algebra texts. The models are then applied to eight abstract algebra textbooks, to see the diversity of the books in terms of the needs of these theoretical readers. Several potential implications of the models for the teaching and learning of Abstract Algebra are derived. The research shows that different books may be more or less suitable for different students to learn Abstract Algebra from. More specifically than that, it shows the ways in which different books may impact the learning of different students who approach reading in particular specific ways. Thus the research may impact the ways in which teachers choose textbooks, but also the ways in which any given textbook can be used. The research suggests that it may be beneficial to guide students in how they use textbooks, to help them pick up subtle cues towards productive behaviours that might otherwise only be accessible to experts. This work may also be useful to authors of textbooks by making visible ways in which values and culture are embedded in their writing. This may enable writers to be more deliberate and precise in selecting and presenting messages that they want their readers to be able to grasp.
- Subject
- abstract algebra; textbooks; grounded theory; FENS models; terrain theory; BAFENS models
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1419663
- Identifier
- uon:37480
- Rights
- Copyright 2020 Hassnaa Hasan Shaheed
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 7 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 630 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |