Construcción social del concepto de "número real" en alumnos de Secundaria : aspectos cognitivos y actitudinales

Abstract

During the school year 1993-94, we carried out an action-research experience with 14-15 year-old students aimed to study their understanding of real numbers. One of the main features in the introduction of the topic was the work on problematic situations. In the treatment and resolution of these situations, we assumed that social interaction and communication processes in the classroom setting have a great relevance for the development of mathematical understanding in the students. In this article, we explain the assumptions and the methodology that we used in our experience and interpret some of its results, which show the advantages of this approach in the construction of advanced numerical thinking.