Integrating GeoGebra into a primary mathematics teaching intervention : impact on students’ learning processes and outcomes

Abstract

This thesis aims to investigate the impact of integrating GeoGebra into teaching intervention on students' geometrical learning process and outcomes. This includes geometric performance, sustainable learning, spatial thinking, students' views of learning using GeoGebra and attitudes towards learning mathematics for Year Five students in Saudi Arabia. Students’ attitudes towards mathematics covers mathematics academic self-concept, enjoyment of mathematics, and the perceived value of mathematics. Besides, the present research examined the correlation between students geometric performance and spatial thinking, attitudes towards learning mathematics, and their ability to sustain their learning for a long time. This research goes deeper to explore pairs' patterns of interaction and the association between pairs' interaction patterns and their geometric performance, spatial thinking skill, mathematics academic self-concept, enjoyment of mathematics, perceived value of mathematics, and sustainable learning. To do so, I adopted pre and post-test quasi-experiment non-equivalent group research design based on control and experimental groups. This research employed mixed methods, including the use of geometric performance test, delayed test, spatial thinking test, GeoGebra visual questionnaire, visual questionnaire of students' attitudes towards mathematics, and video data to explore pair's patterns of interaction. The findings show that the teaching intervention with GeoGebra significantly improves students’ geometric performance, spatial thinking skills, mathematics academic self-concept, enjoyment of mathematics, and the perceived value of mathematics more than teaching intervention with hands-on and traditional teaching. Besides, students show a steady positive change in their view of learning using GeoGebra over time. The results explored six patterns of interaction collaborative, dominant/dominant, cooperative, dominant/passive, passive/passive, and expert/novice. Where collaborative students consistently performed better than other students, while passive/passive students were the lower achievers. Overarching these conclusions has gradually developed my understanding of the nature of learning. The learning activity cannot be designed (Goodyear and Carvalho, 2014a) but can be guided by learning tasks. Although a social setting can be designed, it cannot ensure that students work collaboratively throughout the learning tasks. In short, teaching should be learner-centered and pay more attention to encouraging students to adopt collaborative interaction pattern.