Argumentation frameworks for constructing and evaluating deductive mathematical proofs ; Aide à la construction et l'évaluation des preuves mathématiques déductives par les systèmes d'argumentation

Learning deductive proofs is fundamental for mathematics education. Yet, many students have difficulties to understand and write deductive mathematical proofs which has severe consequences for problem solving as highlighted by several studies. According to the recent study of TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), the level of students in mathematics is falling. students have difficulties to understand mathematics and more precisely to build and structure mathematical proofs.To tackle this problem, several approaches in mathematical didactics have used a social approach in classrooms where students are engaged in a debate and use argumentation in order to build proofs.The term "argumentation" in this context refers to the use of informal discussions in classrooms to allow students to publicly express claims and justify them to build proofs for a given problem. The underlying hypotheses are that argumentation: (i) enhances critical thinking and meta-cognitive skills such as self monitoring and self assessment; (ii) increases student's motivation by social interactions; and (iii) allows learning among students. From instructors' point of view, some difficulties arise with these approaches for assessment. In fact, the evaluation of outcomes -- that includes not only the final proof but also all intermediary steps and aborted attempts -- introduces an important work overhead.In this thesis, we propose a system for constructing and evaluating deductive mathematical proofs. The system has a twofold objective: (i) allow students to build deductive mathematical proofs using structured argumentative debate; (ii) help the instructors to evaluate these proofs and assess all intermediary steps in order to identify misconceptions and provide a constructive feedback to students. The system provides students with a structured framework to debate during construction of proofs using the proposed argumentation frameworks in artificial intelligence. These argumentation frameworks are also used in the ...