New light on old horizon: Constructing mathematical concepts, underlying abstraction processes, and sense making strategies

The initial assumption of this article is that there is an overemphasis on abstraction-from-actions theoretical approaches in research on knowing and learning mathematics. This article uses a critical reflection on research on students’ ways of constructing mathematical concepts to distinguish between abstraction-from-actions theoretical approaches and abstraction-from-objects theoretical approaches. Acknowledging and building on research on knowing and learning processes in mathematics, this article presents a theoretical framework that provides a new perspective on the underlying abstraction processes and a new approach for interpreting individuals’ ways of constructing concepts on the background of their strategies to make sense of a mathematical concept. The view taken here is that the abstraction-from-actions and abstraction-from-objects approaches (although different) are complementary (rather than opposing) frameworks. The article is concerned with the theoretical description of the framework rather than with its use in empirical investigations. This article addresses the need for more advanced theoretical work in research on mathematical learning and knowledge construction.