Pupils learning algebra with DERIVE

This article deals with the use of computer algebra systems in mathematics secondary education. First, we present the global framework of a research project carried out in France with pupils of grades 9 to 12, from 1993 through 1995. Then we focus on a specific part of this project concerning two grade 9 classes of different mathematical ability taught by the same teacher. We briefly present the aims and organisation of DERIVE's use in the two classes, before embarking with more details on a specific topic: systems of linear equations. Finally, we present the data provided by the pupils' answers to a questionnaire taken at the end of the academic year; we use them for investigating pupils' assumptions about DERIVE's potential for mathematics learning, and compare these representations with those emerging from the entire population.