REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL EDUCATION

ISSN: 2146-0353 ● © RIGEO ● 11(4), WINTER, 2021

www.rigeo.org Research Article

Pre-University Students’ Conceptual Understanding

of Functions and Derivatives through Graphical
Reasoning
Haliza Abd Hamid1 Ruzela Tapsir2
Mathematics Studies, Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Mathematics Studies, Faculty of Computer and Mathematical
Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor
Raja Lailatul Zuraida Raja Maamor Shah3 Farah Zahraa Salleh4
Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Mathematics,
Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900 Tanjong Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak,
Malim, Perak, Malaysia Malaysia
Najihah Mustaffa5 Khadijatalbahriah Haji Lakim6
Mathematics and Science Unit, Sektor Pembelajaran, Jabatan Sekolah Menengah Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha, Jalan Kuala
Pendidikan Negeri Perak, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, 30100 Ipoh, Abang, Birau,Tutong, TE2143 Brunei
Perak
Sayed Ramy Sayed Abdulhamid7
Sharjah American International School, Shamakha Abu Dhabi,
UAE
Corresponding author: Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti
Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia Email: lailatul.zuraida@fsmt.upsi.edu.my

Abstract
It will be inspiring for the students, to deal with visual learning strategy as it entails creative and critical
thinking which students seem to lack. Students’ difficulties in relating derivative to its graphical
representation is central discussion among the mathematics community and calculus literature. This study
evaluates students’ ability to use Cartesian graphs, as visual tools, to reason when solving tasks on
derivatives and continue to check on the types of conceptual reasoning they assumed. Two tasks were
distributed to 194 pre-university students to extract and interpret properties of derivatives. Students exhibit
mix levels of graph understanding depending on the degree of difficulty of the tasks, while algebraic
methods still dominate their thinking. We conjecture that reading and interpreting graph are not
independent of understanding the content knowledge of particular subjects or topics. The results of the
study help teachers, curriculum developers and textbook authors to understand the cognitive process
and development level of the students in making meaning of mathematical concepts.

Keywords
Derivative, Graph Reasoning, Conceptual Reasoning, Pre-University Students, Mathematics Education

To cite this article: Hamid, H, A.; Tapsir, R.; Shah, R, L, Z, R, M.; Salleh, F, Z.; Mustaffa, N.; Lakim, K, H.; and Abdul
Hamid, S, R, S. (2021) Pre-University Students’ Conceptual Understanding of Functions and Derivatives through
Graphical Reasoning. Review of International Geographical Education (RIGEO), 11(4), 1013-1022. doi:
10.48047/rigeo.11.04.94
Submitted: 02-03-2021 ● Revised: 03-05-2021 ● Accepted: 05-07-2021
 © RIGEO ● Review of International Geographical Education 11(4), WINTER, 2021

Introduction
University students encounter concepts of calculus such as differentiation and its applications
during their college and tertiary educations. Many studies reveal that students have difficulties
understanding related calculus concepts such as functions, limits, tangents and derivatives (Mahir,
2009; Serhan, 2009). Malaysia is strategizing steps to ensure that the changes in delivery methods
in mathematics are addressed and reformed efforts were directed towards minimizing
development of students’ procedural skills (Habre & Abboud, 2006). Among the most proposed
and empirically proven approach is the use of graphs and hence visualization (Manalo & Uesaka,
2011; Ratwani et al., 2008). In contrast, classroom practices and examination question have often
rejected visual reasoning as correct and acceptable method of doing mathematics (Abd. Hamid,
2017). Visual proof such as the use of graphs or scaled diagrams is not ‘appropriate’ when problem
solving is assessed through the manipulation of numbers and symbols (Hughes-Hallet, 1991).

Literature Review
Graphs

Literature on teaching and learning of calculus supports the idea that coordinating both the
analytical and graphical understanding is vital in assisting students to understand mathematical
objects, concepts and processes (Aspinwall & Shaw, 2002). Founded by Zimmerman’s (1999),
“visual thinking is so fundamental to the understanding of calculus that it is difficult to imagine a
successful calculus course which does not emphasize the visual elements of the subject” (p. 136).
The last thirty years has witnessed additional research on students’ difficulties to understand the
concepts of functions and derivatives or to relate functions and their derivatives in graphical forms
(Haciomeroglu et al., 2010; Sahin et al., 2015). The last thirty years has witnessed additional
research on students’ difficulties to understand the concepts of functions and derivatives or to
relate functions and their derivatives in graphical forms (Haciomeroglu et al., 2010; Sahin et al.,
2015). The research indicated that practices employed at secondary schools lacked the usage of
graphs, resulting incompetency in handling more challenging problems at the tertiary level.
Unfortunately, most educators focused on techniques of drilling such as finding the derivative of
functions algebraically, memorizing formulae, patterns or steps such as in the Chain Rule, the
Product Rule or the Quotient Rule (Alacaci et al., 2011).
Students would find it easier to memorize the steps and formulae but struggle when they need to
coordinate various types of related quantities (Mahir, 2009). For example, sketching a derivative
function based on the graph of a particular function with no specific algebraic expression
attached, requires the ability to coordinate two different types of quantities i.e. the slope of a
function at a particular point or the instantaneous rate of change and the vertical distance or
height of the derivative function with respect to the x-axis. Research has encountered many
students who faced difficulties coordinating these two varying quantities (Herbert, 2008) and for
this reason, it is the intention of this study to carry out analysis on how they read and interpret
concepts from graphs. In general, a graph which is known for its visual capabilities, should be
employed in application-typed problems to guide students to explore, reflect, and organize their
thinking and continue to plan decisions and make conclusion. For example, when introducing
tangent through the notion of limit, students are able to see the relationship on how a chord moves
to become the tangent through the idea of how rate of change becomes the instantaneous rate
of change at a particular point.
Although graphical reasoning is a critical cognitive skill and set as one of the curriculums learning
outcomes, there is a lack of research on this topic among Malaysian researchers (Haliza, Noraini
& Ruzela, 2013). Not being able to read or interpret the information from graphs correctly will
jeopardize the effectiveness of learning. In response to the recommendations outlined by the
Malaysian curriculum guidelines and the necessity to develop students’ content knowledge for
effective learning, we initiated this study to provide rich contexts for understanding and reasoning
on concepts using Cartesian graphs. Specifically, this study focused the understanding of the
concepts and properties of functions and their derivatives through the use of Cartesian graphs of
pre-university students from a private college in Selangor, Malaysia.

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Conceptual Understanding of the Derivative

Derivative is the first concept being introduced in calculus at pre-university level. Students were
introduced to the concepts of derivatives and calculus during their upper secondary levels. The
content of calculus includes: limits of functions, tangent and normal, the properties of graphs of
functions and their derivatives, and various applications of functions and their derivatives.

Graphical Reasoning

There are many definitions of reasoning in the context of mathematics education. Reasoning can
be seen as thinking processes, product of these processes, or as both. Reasoning according to
Lithner (2008) is the line of thought, adopted to produce affirmation or assertion and reach
conclusions when solving tasks. It may not base on formal logic and may even be incorrect, as
long as there are reasons supporting it. The series of thinking refer to the mental act of
understanding concepts while the conclusions reached are the product of the cognitive process.
Most instructional materials and textbooks focus on how to read and interpret data from drawn
graphs or on how to sketch graphs either from given algebraic functions or from sets of given
numerical values (Yang Ai Shin & Fui Ling, 2017). While these practices can only strengthen
students’ procedural knowledge, they are not sufficient to develop conceptual knowledge
through in-depth understanding of graphs in analyzing problems (Alacaci et al., 2011). The
importance of graphical reasoning fits into a long-standing instructional goal, the teaching and
learning of concepts so that students are ready and able to use them in new situations. Meaningful
learning using graphs occurs when students recognize and interpret the information beyond that
displayed.
Graphical analysis is an important part of most mathematics curricula especially calculus. Graphs
are an increasingly important way for how quantitative data are being presented (Johnson, 2012).
Students are encouraged to read, understand and interpret graphical data as means to solve
problems involving quantitative information and those related to real life situations. This is essential
as a way for them to function effectively, later, in the workplace. Graphical analysis and reasoning
provide visual connections among concepts in derivatives and calculus. In order to comprehend
information represented in Cartesian graphs, for example, students should have sound
understandings of proportions and co-variations between quantities (Johnson, 2012). They need
to be familiar with the plotting of paired values in the coordinate system.
Alacaci et al. (2011) explain a graph as ‘information transmitted using spatial characteristics such
as position of a point, line or area to represent quantity’ (p. 5). Alacaci et al. (2011) also define
graph comprehension as students’ proficiency in extracting meaning of a graph. Different levels
of data extraction are able to evoke different levels of graphical reasoning (Friel et al. 2001). For
example, reading a graph requires direct reading of the information from graphs such as in
identifying the location of a point or comparison of the locations of points. Reading between
graphs involve tasks that need the relationships among the variables while reading beyond the
graph requires students to make extension or interpolation of the graphs to further predict the
situations which are not visible on the ‘screen’. Graphical reasoning requires not only the processes
of reading and interpreting the data but the skills and ability to construct graphs based on the
required properties of the original graph of functions but not necessarily based on the algebraic
expressions.
Missed reasoning data read from a graph signifies a conceptual difficulty of understanding the
information representing by, in this study, the functions or their derivatives (Habre & Abboud, 2006).
Comparing, the procedural knowledge might just need the students to read off the coordinates
for position of points, to label the axes or to use the legends as references. Failing to read or
interpret the data displayed on the graphs will constrain graphical reasoning in two ways. Firstly, it
will impede the students’ ability to seek relationships between functions and their properties that
are warranted by the graphs. Secondly, since graphs are visual tools that facilitate reasoning and
thinking, the lack of such tools limits students’ conceptualization of their understanding of the
topic. For example, if a student is not familiar with slope of the functional graph, he/she will be less
likely to discuss how or when a function increases or decreases, or to talk about rate of change.
In summary, research on derivatives and calculus has identified that students’ understanding is
limited to procedural knowledge. When asked to explain slopes or tangents, as well as connecting
stationary points and the inflection points to the functions graphically, they encounter difficulty.

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The present study was designed to investigate students’ conceptual knowledge of functions and
their derivatives by examining their understanding through the use of Cartesian graphs. The
literature search indicated the studies in Malaysia focuses on guides in learning and solving
problems of calculus (Samsudin, Idris & Mazeni, 2020) and analyzing difficulties in learning calculus
(Yerizon, 2019; Tarmizi, 2010). Therefore, the findings of this study are important and may contribute
significantly to the field. It is important for the secondary Malaysian teachers and educators, to
realize how students learn about derivatives and calculus so as to optimize students’ grasping of
the concepts. The study acts as a stepping stone for further and detailed investigations of
students’ learning about derivatives and calculus employing graphical information. The main aim
of this study was to further understand students’ utilizing of graph to exhibit their ability to identify
the graphical representations of derivatives.

Methodology
The primary source of data was from an assessment with tasks related to graphical skills on
derivative administered to 194 pre-university students. Content validity of the assessment items
was done by one international and two local experts in the area of visual literacy and
mathematics. Changes were made for clarity based on the feedback and recommendations
from the experts and also findings from the pilot test.

Instrument

The instrument consisted of two tasks that dealt with analysis of graphs requiring students to have
fundamental conceptual ideas about derivatives and the representations of their properties on
the coordinate axes system. The conception was the transformation from algebraic or symbolic
forms of representations of the properties of functions and their derivatives into visual forms on
graphs. In the tasks given, students were instructed to write their justification for their answers.
In Task 1 below, the graph of a polynomial was provided for students to identify some of its basic
properties as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. The graph and items for Task 1

In Task 2, the items required the students to relate the shape of a graph implicitly to the
characteristics of the function.

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Figure 2. The graph and items for Task 2

Participants

The respondents were selected based on convenient sampling where 194 pre-university students
enrolled at one of the private colleges in Malaysia participated. They were students who had
excelled in the main Malaysian national examination, the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), and had
been awarded scholarship by the government educational division to pursue their tertiary studies,
in Australia or New Zealand and aged between 18 to 19 years.

Procedure

The students were asked to solve the tasks, explained the reasons for the steps or procedures
carried out and comments on the answers obtained. They worked individually.

Data analysis

The study gathered two sets of data from the students. The quantitative information includes the
rating on how they made use of graphs to answer the tasks. The rubric used in analyzing the
responses is as shown in Table 1 is based on the study done by Abd. Hamid (2017).

Table 1.
Rubric on the use of graph.
Point Code Description
4 CSVR Correct solution with valid reason
- Produces correct solution based on the graph and
managed to provide valid reason(s) for the correct solution
3 CSIR Correct solution with invalid reason
- Produces correct solution based on the graph but did
not manage to provide valid reason(s) for the correct solution

2 CSNR Correct solution with no reason

1 ISINR
0 NA
- Produces correct solution based on the graph but did
not manage to provide any valid reason(s) for the correct
solution
Incorrect solution with invalid reason / no reason
- Produces incorrect solution based on the graph and
did not manage to provide valid reason(s) for the correct
solution
No answer / Not attempted
- Left the item un-attempted.

In the next step, only those with Correct Solution with Valid Reason (CSVR) from the analysis above
were considered, as shown in Figure 3. The reasoning and explanation of the tasks provided
quantitative information on the logical, understanding or other factors that contributed to the
conceptual knowledge that students demonstrated. Categories for the conceptual knowledge

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were classified into three categories as demonstrated in Table 2.

Figure 3. The process of data analysis

These categories were developed based on the idea by Alacaci et al (2011) on students’
common reasoning and adapted from the classification prepared when assessing the pre-service
teachers’ understanding of graphs. Levels of students’ performance can be described under one
of the categories of conceptual knowledge; Direct Conceptual Reasoning (DCR), Indirect
Conceptual Reasoning (ICR) and Non-Conceptual Reasoning (NCR). The DCR represents the
highest level of students’ ability to read and interpret graphs.

Table 2.
Categories for the Conceptual Knowledge
Category Description
Direct conceptual reasoning explanation referred explicitly to the type of conception
(DCR) implied in the tasks
I ndirect conceptual reasoning explanation referred implicitly to the type of conception
(ICR) implied n the tasks
Non-conceptual reasoning explanation referred to non-conception implied in the
(NCR) tasks but based on other reasons (for example: personal
opinion or personal experience)

The rationale behind the conceptual reasoning signifies explicitly to the type of conception
implied in the tasks. The ICR entails the reflection of the types of reasoning made such that the
reasoning is not as complex as the conceptual reasoning. The NCR resembles the different or
wrong conceptual factors provided when solving the tasks. Reasoning based on other factors
does not portray a principal conceptual for the solution method. This is the lowest level of
reasoning and represents an elementary form of conceptual knowledge.

Results and Discussions

The first part of the finding demonstrates how well students utilized graphical reasoning when they
attempted the two tasks. Concurrently it will provide the information on students’ ability to identify
the graphical representations of derivatives from the graphs given.

Graphical Reasoning
Students’ tasks were checked by five lecturers with an inter-rater reliability of 0.91.

Table 3.
Distribution of frequencies and percentages of Students’ Graphical Reasoning

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Table 3 presents the ratings of students’ usage of graphs and their reasoning for both tasks. The
highest frequency is item 1(a)(i) with CSVR (64.43%) indicates that the majority of the students have
ability to realize that f 4 represents the y-value for the x-coordinate of 4 and were able to locate
the correct position of the point. However, 69 students (35.57%) did not support their answer with
any reasoning (CSNR). Tasks 1(a)(ii) and 1(b)(ii) require students to relate the algebraic expressions
of slopes to their representations and properties on graphs. Approximately more than half of the
f 3 f 1
students managed to draw the correct chord or line to represent for task 1(a)(ii) and
3 1
provided valid explanation for it, indicating their ability to transform from the symbolic form to the
visual form. Understanding the symbolic from the chord had able them to make comparison on
the steepness of the lines in task 1(b)(ii). Their reasoning of ‘decreasing slope’ and ‘lesser steep
line’ indicate that the students are able to visualize the graphical representations of the slope
functions. The roughly equal values in the incorrect- and no-reasoning for both tasks provide a
view on their inability to express their reasoning in words. In the case of students who had given
incorrect answers, this indicates their difficulties in visualizing the comparison of the steepness of
the chords graphically.
Tasks 1(b)(iii), 1(c)(i), 1(d)(i), 2(a)(i), 2(a)(ii) and 2(b) involves derivatives. The high frequencies in
getting correct answers and providing valid reasons provides a window into their understanding
and recognizing the notation f x to represent the slope of graph at a particular point and some
of their properties visually. They managed to identify and compare the steepness of the tangent
and to relate the slanting of tangent lines to the right or left to the positivity or negativity
respectively. The smaller numbers of students who provided incorrect- and no-reasoning indicate
incompetence in dealing with reasoning.
None of them was able to solve and reason tasks 1(d)(ii) and 1(e) correctly in which at least 94%
of them presented invalid or no reasoning to support their visualization skills. Task 1(d)(ii) requires
the students to illustrate their knowledge visually on graphs. This indicates their inability to interpret
the symbolic representations of the derivatives into graphical representations. In task 1(e), the
students exhibited their challenges in relating the concept of limit visually. There were only 84
(43.30%) students who managed to recall the correct relationship between the derivative and
limit but offering incorrect or no reasoning, indicating their isolation in understanding
mathematical concepts.
Task 2 requires the students to look into a bigger area of the graph. They need to identify intervals
on the graph. Tasks 2(a)(i), 2(a)(ii) and 2(b) test the students visual reasoning on the shapes of the
graph. Approximately half of the students managed to identify and describe the required portions
and shapes of the graph with acceptable justification. A significant percentage of 21% – 29% of
the students still managed to arrive to the correct solutions but had offered no reasoning. These
indicate that the students do acquire visualization ability and understand the association of the
first and second derivatives to the functions graphically. Those students with less conceptual
knowledge described the changes of the shape of the graph instead of the changes in the slope.
On the other hand, 101 (52.07%) students ignored to provide any reasoning although they
managed to sketch the correct graph to represent the slope of the function.

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Conceptual Reasoning

In this section the findings exhibit the different conceptual reasoning given by the students who
obtained the correct solution together with valid reasoning (CSVR) from the rubric for all the tasks.
The reasoning provided by the students offered insight into their thinking and in understanding the
properties of functions and their derivatives. Table 4 and Table 5 shows the summary of the
distribution of percentage of responses for the types of conceptual reasoning provided by the
students when solving the two tasks.

Table 4.
Distribution of Responses of Types of Conceptual Reasoning for Task 1

As Table 4 shows, majority of the students were able to apply their conceptual knowledge on
functions and derivatives in order to solve the items in Task 1. Items 1(a)(i), 1(b)(i) and 1(d)(i) require
the knowledge on basic properties of functions and derivatives and almost all students were able
to reason them mathematically, be it directly or indirectly. These indicate that they are well-versed
with fundamental knowledge of calculus. The samples of types of conceptual reasoning provided
by the students for Task 1b(ii) are as follows:

Direct Conceptual Reasoning: the expression represents the slope of chord. The graph is
increasing slowly, so slope is decreasing. Smaller values of x will have steeper chords.
Indirect Conceptual Reasoning: the line between the two points is steeper than the other
Non-Conceptual Reasoning: the lines drawn slant differently

The higher percentages for the direct and indirect conceptual reasoning for the other items with
correct reasoning tell that student are well-equipped with conceptual understanding of
derivatives and were able to relate them to their properties graphically. The highest percentage
of 22.2% for non-conceptual reasoning in item 1(c)(ii) indicate students’ ability to visualize the
direction of different slopes of tangents within the limits imposed. Among the non-conceptual
reasoning stated by the students is: the position of 2 and 3 are higher than 1. This shows that they
have the knowledge on derivative and are able to visualize that as the x-coordinates increase,
the respective y-values also increase and therefore the tangent lines will be slanting upwards.

Table 5.
Distribution of Responses of Types of Conceptual Reasoning for Task 2
Item 2(a)(i) 2(a)(ii) 2(b) 2(c)
DCR 87.5 81.4 33.3 51.2
ICR 10.7 11.3 42.2 43.9
NCR 1.8 7.3 24.5 4.9

As Table 5 shows, except for task in item 2(b), more than 90% of the students were able to apply
their conceptual knowledge on functions and derivatives in order to solve the items in Task 2. Item
2(b) requires students to explore the graph in terms of its slope. Students offered variety of
explanations for the non-conceptual reasoning revealing their intuition in understanding the
concepts of derivatives. The samples of students’ reasoning and comments for the steps taken to
solve the tasks for task 2(b) are as follows:

Conceptual Reasoning: the graph is approaching a horizontal asymptote and therefore slope is
approaching zero
Indirect Conceptual Reasoning: the graph decreases and does not increase
Non-Conceptual Reasoning: the shape of the graph

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To summarize, this group of students who had managed to arrive to the correct solutions with valid
reasoning were well-equipped with the basic concept’s functions and derivatives. Some offered
conceptual reasoning indicating their understanding on how the algebraic expression or
mathematical symbols are represented graphically. The other students either used an indirect
reasoning, or use their instinct or personal experience to support their solutions.
It has been shown that the more competitive the tasks, the more cognitive efforts are required for
students to understand the information embedded in the graphs and diagrams (Yusri, 2017;
Manalo & Uesaka, 2011). Furthermore, object visualizers for example, constructed detailed images
of slopes of tangent lines, but failed to transform them into derivative graphs as compared to
spatial visualizers who were able to visualize the changing slope of tangent lines as well as
transform them into derivative graphs (Haciomeroglu, Aspinwall, & Presmeg, 2010). Studies on
students’ cognitive processes in mathematics, have provided insights into the relationships
between cognitive abilities, cognitive styles, and calculus performance. They developed case
studies of students and provided comprehensive analyses of their preferences in problem-solving
situations (Ratwani, Trafton & Boehm-Davis, 2008).

Conclusion
The findings exhibit a mixture pattern of pre-university students’ understanding of graphs. On one
hand, they were very proficient with reading the graphs and showed proficiency in reading data
or information between the graphs. The students were able to see the relationships among
concepts and applications of functions and derivatives and subsequently, to support their
reasons. On the other hand, a larger portion of the students demonstrated very little proficiency
when reading or interpreting data or information beyond what could be seen directly on the
graphs.
This study was designed to investigate students’ use of graphs as visual tools to solving tasks. The
finding shed light on the students’ visual reasoning abilities. Further studies are recommended to
investigate students’ reasoning on other related concepts such as integration and statistics wh ere
the usage of graphs, not necessarily Cartesian graphs, is central.

Acknowledgement
We would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to the the Ministry of Education
(MOE) and Research Management and Innovation Centre (RMIC), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan
Idris (Malaysia) for the financial supports through FRGS Vote No: 2017-0071-107-02.

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