Changes of working styles in a computer algebra environment - The case of functions

This study is an empirical investigation of 11th graders at a German high school (Gymnasium). Working over a 24-hour period in a computer lab, we investigated students' use of quadratic functions with 'Derive', and trigonometric functions with 'Mathplus' 1 (or 'Theorist' for Macintosh). We were particularly interested in the working styles of students while they solved problems and looked for changes in these styles, as compared to traditional paper and pencil activities. While students worked on the computer, their activities (such as inputs from the keyboard, menu choices or mouse movements) were saved by a special program, which ran in the 'background'. We are interested in the possibilities of developing a research method based on these 'computer protocols'. The study should be seen as an exploratory study for developing hypotheses for further empirical investigations.