Development of APOS Theory
APOS Theory arose out of an attempt to understand the mechanism of reflective abstraction, introduced by Piaget to describe the development of logical thinking in children, and extend this idea to more advanced mathematical concepts (Dubinsky, 1991a). This work has been carried on by a small group of researchers called a Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education Community (RUMEC) who have been collaborating on specific research projects using APOS Theory within a broader research and curriculum development framework. The framework consists of essentially three components: a theoretical analysis of a certain mathematical concept, the development and implementation of instructional treatments (using several non-standard pedagogical strategies such as cooperative learning and constructing mathematical concepts on a computer) based on this theoretical analysis, and the collection and analysis of data to test and refine both the initial theoretical analysis and the instruction. This cycle is repeated as often as necessary to understand the epistemology of the concept and to obtain effective pedagogical strategies for helping students learn it.