Schemas, Their Development and Interaction

Abstract

APOS Theory has been successful in describing and predicting the types of mental structures students need to construct in order to learn abstract concepts. As new research is carried out and complex research projects are undertaken, it has become necessary to widen the scope of the theory. This has been achieved by expanding the researchers’ understanding of various theoretical constructs. Although there has been less research using these constructs, they already form part of the theory or are being tested in current research. One of these constructs is Schema; another is the mechanism of thematization and another, to be discussed in Chap.​ 8, is a possible new stage, Totality, between Process and Object.