The Nested Epistemic Actions Model for Abstraction in Context: Theory as Methodological Tool and Methodological Tool as Theory

Understanding how students construct abstract mathematical knowledge is a central concern of research in mathematics education. Abstraction in Context (AiC) is a theoretical framework for studying students’ processes of constructing abstract mathematical knowledge as it occurs in a context that includes specific mathematical, curricular and social components as well as a particular learning environment. The emergence of constructs that are new to a student is described and analyzed, according to AiC, by means of a model with three observable epistemic actions: Recognizing, Building-with and Constructing–the RBC-model. While being part of the theoretical framework, the RBC-model also serves as the main methodological tool of AiC.