Abstract

CONTRERAS DE LA FUENTE, Ángel  and  GARCIA ARMENTEROS, Manuel. Intended and personal meanings in a study process with the functional limit. Relime [online]. 2011, vol.14, n.3, pp.277-310. ISSN 2007-6819.

The limit of a function is one of the most controversial concepts in mathematics education, to such an extent that its teaching and learning are a real challenge for researchers. Many papers have been prepared in relation to this mathematical object, which focus on areas such as APOS, the theory of epistemological obstacles and the TAD, and mathematical studies have even been developed based on their study. In this paper, based on the onto-semiotic approach to mathematical cognition and instruction, we go more in-depth into the intended, assessed and personal meanings of a study process regarding the limit of a function. The results indicate that, despite some intuitive classes being analyzed in relation to the limit (i.e. without using the metric definition of ε and δ), students encounter numerous semiotic conflicts when interrelating with said concept.

Keywords : Limit of a function; Teaching and learning; Institutional meanings; Personal meanings; Semiotic conflict.