Abstract
The present study explored the effectiveness of GeoGebra in enhancing students’ active learning, performance and interest to learn mathematics. Much emphasis was put in teaching and learning exponential and logarithmic functions. The general intention was to investigate whether the use of ICT be used to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics in Rwandan Secondary Schools. The present study is an experimental research design that employed Grade 11 students of one secondary school within Kayonza district of Rwanda. Thus, sample of 34 Grade 11 students were taught exponential and logarithmic functions with the use of GeoGebra from 19 August 2019 to 30 October 2019. Before the intervention, a short group discussion with Grade 11 students was conducted to see the students’ attitudes about learning mathematics using ICT tools. Besides, a mathematics teacher was asked a challenging topic to teach within conventional classroom. After learning with the use of GeoGebra, an attitudinal survey questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data about the effectiveness of GeoGebra in learning mathematics. Data were analyzed descriptively using Excel 2016. It was found that students acquired more knowledge. The study showed that students can learn independently through interactive dynamic software. The results, therefore, showed that students’ interest to learn mathematics increased. There is a need to strengthen one laptop per student program to enhance students’ independent learning of mathematics
Highlights
In this modern era where technology is becoming a custom of the current generation, integrating the medium that can satisfy learners’ interest is notable (Moore, 2008; Saha, Ayub, & Tarmizi, 2010; Akkaya, Tatar, & Kaǧizmanli, 2011; Shadaan & Eu, 2013; Wassie & Zergaw, 2019)
Students argued that the use GeoGebra and other soft wares can enhance their understanding of difficult concepts in mathematics
While exploring the effectiveness of GeoGebra while learning mathematics, a lesson was delivered with GeoGebra assisted mathematics instruction, where students interacted with the software with the help of the researchers
Summary
In this modern era where technology is becoming a custom of the current generation, integrating the medium that can satisfy learners’ interest is notable (Moore, 2008; Saha, Ayub, & Tarmizi, 2010; Akkaya, Tatar, & Kaǧizmanli, 2011; Shadaan & Eu, 2013; Wassie & Zergaw, 2019). Technology provides access to phenomena that were previously abstract for many students (Lombardi, 2007) It is the reason why Rwanda, in line of Vision 2030, has an ambition of becoming a knowledge-based and technology-led economy by emphasizing on the need of generating, disseminating, and acquiring scientific skills and technological innovations. This requires Rwanda to adopt a policy of integrating technology in social and economic development by applying ICT in education especially in the field of applied and natural sciences in line with the implementation of a Competence-Based Curriculum (REB, 2015). Though ICT does not automatically enhance the learning of students or replace a teacher (Boholano, 2013),
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