Abstract
The presented study analyzes the usage of the didactic efficiency of multiple representations in a computer environment in learning absolute value functions and equations. It is known that the axis of symmetry of the graph of the absolute value function is the y-axis. The research was applied at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. The data were collected by testing a group of 226 students: major chemistry and physics students at the beginning of their common calculus course. The students worked individually in two groups: the experimental and control group. The experimental group of students practiced using GeoGebra software, and the control group of students practiced using paper and pencil. At the end of the experiment, which lasted for two weeks (six school classes), both groups were tested with a post-test of knowledge without using a computer. It can be concluded that GeoGebra software had a positive influence on the students’ achievements in solving absolute value equations.
Highlights
The absolute value is an important topic because of the intrinsic epistemological significance of its concept
For the reasons stated above, this paper studied the application of modern technology with the goal to improve the quality of translations between multiple representations in learning the equations by using the graph of the functions
GeoGebra software has proven to be a great package for learning mathematical content because of its dynamical nature and ease of use [79]
Summary
The absolute value is an important topic because of the intrinsic epistemological significance of its concept. This significance lies in the theoretical foundation of numbers and their applications [1]. The concept of absolute value is one of the concepts that students have problems with at all levels of mathematical education [5]. A lot of research has been conducted to identify the difficulties in learning the absolute value. Most of the difficulties arise from the fact that students solve tasks as if the absolute value does not exist [6]. Difficulties in solving absolute value expressions and equations are noticeable [8]
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