Long-term development of how students interpret a model; Complementarity of contexts and mathematics

When students engage in rich mathematical modelling tasks, they have to handle real-world contexts and mathematics in chorus. This is not easy. In this chapter, contexts and mathematics are perceived as complementary, which means they can be integrated. Based on four types of approaches to modelling tasks (ambivalent, reality bound, mathematics bound, or integrating), we used task-based interviews to study the development of students’ approaches while the students moved from grade 11 to 12. Our participants were ten Dutch students. We found that their approaches initially were either ambivalent, reality bound or mathematics bound. In subsequent interviews the preference was maintained, and in the end the approaches of four students were integrating. Both a reality bound and a mathematics bound preference could lead to a more advanced integrating approach.