Proceedings of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education · Volume 1
Fabio Luiz Borges Simas, Michael Fischer, Rúbia Barcelos Amaral
Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UNIRIO
⬇ Download PDFProofs are often conceptualised as sequences of deductively connected assertions, yet in practice they frequently include instructions that guide the reader’s actions. Little is known about how culturally or linguistically dependent such proof language may be. This study examines how instructional language is used to structure written proofs in two school textbook traditions, by analysing multiple versions of the same theorem. In doing so, we refine an analytical framework for proof discourse. In one tradition, proofs are densely expressed through symbolic statements with few instructions, whereas in another they rely on frequent verbal instructions that guide the reader step by step. These contrasts identify culturally contingent features of proof language and their potential implications for students’ engagement with proving.
proofinstructionrecipe proofslanguagecross-cultural