Mathematical representation: The roles, challenges and implication on instruction

Abstract

Mathematics is often seen as completely separated from the daily life. This is why people need some connecting bridge. Many said that mathematical representation serves the bridge role for people to understand and express mathematical ideas. Representation consists of internal and external representation. However, representation term that researchers used mostly refers to only external part. Real-world problems can be represented using formula, visual, concrete, etc. This paper aimed to review results of researches related to mathematical representation. This paper will emphasize the role of using multiple representations in mathematics learning, the challenges that students and teachers face related to representation and teachers' role in promoting students' mathematical representation.