Identifying Persistent Unconventional Understandings of Algebra: A Case Study of an Adult with Dyscalculia

Research on dyscalculia has focused almost exclusively on elementary-aged students' deficits in speed and accuracy in arithmetic calculation. This case study expands our understanding of dyscalculia by documenting how one college student with dyscalculia understood algebra during a one-on-one design experiment. A detailed case study of 19 video recorded sessions revealed that she relied upon unconventional understandings of algebraic quantities and notation, which led to persistent difficulties. This exploratory case study provides new insights into the character of difficulties that arose and persisted for one student with dyscalculia in the context of algebra and suggests the utility of documenting the persistent understandings that students with dyscalculia rely upon, particularly in understudied mathematical domains, like algebra. [For the complete proceedings, see ED630210.]