Secondary mathematics teachers’ meanings for measure, slope, and rate of change

Abstract This article reports an investigation of 251 high school mathematics teachers’ meanings for slope, measurement, and rate of change. The data was collected with a validated written instrument designed to diagnose teachers' mathematical meanings. Most teachers conveyed primarily additive and formulaic meanings for slope and rate of change on written items. Few teachers conveyed that a rate of change compares the relative sizes of changes in two quantities. Teachers’ weak measurement schemes were associated with limited meanings for rate of change. Overall, the data suggests that rate of change should be a topic of targeted professional development.