Rethinking heuristics – characterizations and vignettes

Abstract

The concept of “heuristics” or “heuristic strategies” is central to (mathematical) problem solving and related research; however, there is no generally accepted definition of this term. Trying to clarify the concept might help avoiding misunderstandings and difficulties in dealing with studies that use different terms meaning the same concepts or that use the same terms meaning different concepts. Therefore, the research presented in this paper aims at a clarification of the term “heuristics” and suggestions for the use of it in future research. Building on previous work from last year’s ProMath conference, the consequences of using different characterizations of “heuristics” on vignettes (= short, completed scenes) of problem solving attempts are investigated. The conceptualization of “heuristics” has a significant influence on the types and numbers of perceived heuristics, which in turn affects empirical studies that identify and analyze heuristic strategies.