ABSTRACT Previous studies have shown that students who have completed differential and integral calculus often accept and employ empirical arguments as proofs, but this is not the case for students who have had at least one upper-level proof course; these students tend toward the use of deductive proofs. This paper finds that a majority of the students surveyed preferred deductive arguments at the beginning of a transition-to-proof course, though there was a sizeable minority who preferred empirical arguments. However, most of the students who initially preferred empirical arguments shifted their positions and preferred deductive arguments by the end of the semester. Finally, the paper shows that by the end of the semester students are more consistent in choosing deductive arguments.

中文翻译：

---

调查本科生的观点和选择经验和演绎论证的一致性

摘要 以往的研究表明，完成微积分和微积分的学生通常会接受并使用经验论证作为证明，但对于至少上过一门高级证明课程的学生则不然；这些学生倾向于使用演绎证明。本文发现，大多数接受调查的学生在过渡到证明课程开始时更喜欢演绎论证，尽管有相当多的少数人更喜欢经验论证。然而，大多数最初更喜欢经验论证的学生在学期结束时改变了立场，更喜欢演绎论证。最后，论文表明，到学期末，学生在选择演绎论证方面更加一致。