Constant periodic functions have very limited use for engineering applications. The transformation of such functions into periodic trigonometric functions has greater applicability. This paper reports on a qualitative case study which explored possible causes of poor performance by engineering students (n=101) when transforming constant periodic functions using Fourier Transforms. They were provided two tasks and their written responses were used to detect possible causes for their incorrect solutions. The study was carried out at a University of Technology in South Africa. The data, which was collected from written responses of students to two tasks, were analysed using APOS theory. Findings emanating from the data analysis indicated that the causes of poor performance emanates from a variety of challenges. These include lack of integration skills and conceptual knowledge of functions. Furthermore, I found that that different APOS levels of understanding were required for different tasks and at different stages of the tasks.

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