Abstract
In the process of posing mathematical problems without any topic restrictions four types of initial ideas (starters) were identified: Mathematical topic, Process of problem solving, Variation of the known problem and Context. (All four starters can be divided into subtypes.) The respondents at three levels of experience in problem posing took part in the research. (Groups of novices, specialists and experts.) The self-reflections of their problem posing process were analyzed. The results are: With increasing level of experience the ratio of Mathematical topic decreases, the ratio of Process of solving increases and the ratio of Variation of the known problem increases.
There is a difference in Context as well. Novices usually glance around themselves hoping to find inspiration for their problem.
The specialists and experts usually notice the interesting situation in their surroundings and afterwards they realize that it is a good basis for the problem.