Reading mathematical texts : cognitive processes and mental representations

There is a need to distinguish between understanding a text and learning from a text, something that can be done by looking at different levels of mental representations created when reading. This study is focusing on the mental representations created in two types of situations, where different kinds of cognitive processes are dominant, either a more perception-like process or a more problem-solving process. The purpose is to test an analytical tool of different levels of mental representations when used for mathematical texts, and to see examples of students’ mental representations when reading different kinds of mathematical texts.