Comparisons of Mathematics Achievement, Attitude towards Mathematics and Analytical Thinking between Using the Geometer's Sketchpad Program as Media and Conventional Learning Activities

Abstract

In organization of mathematics learning activities, more technologies have been used for developing efficiency in organization of learning activities. The Geometer's Sketchpad Program (GSP) is an efficient and appropriate software used for teaching geometry to students, and it can help students learn geometry more concretely. This study aimed to compare mathematics learning achievement, Parabola, attitudes toward mathematics, and analytical thinking abilities of ninth grade students between organization of activities using the Geometer's Sketchpad Program as learning media and conventional organization of activities. Seventy seven of ninth grade students were sampled. They were assigned into an experimental group of 38 students who learned using organization of learning activities by the use of the Geometer's Sketchpad Program as learning media, and a control group of 39 students who learned using the conventional organization of learning activities. The statistics used for analyzing data were mean and standard deviation, and the Pearson correlation, t-test (independent samples), and Hotelling's T2 were employed for testing hypotheses. The findings of this study revealed that students who learned using organization of activities by the use of the Geometer's Sketchpad Program as learning media had higher attitudes toward mathematics learning than those who learned using the conventional organization of activities at the .05 level of statistical significance. In addition, students who learned using organization of activities by the use of the Geometer's Sketchpad Program as learning media had higher mathematics achievement and more analytical thinking abilities than those who learned using the conventional organization of activities at the .01 level of significance. In conclusion, the organization of activities using the Geometer's Sketchpad Program could help to develop mathematics learning and teaching to be more efficient. Therefore mathematics teachers should be promoted to apply this approach to learning and teaching in the future.