Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate how the implementation of GeoGebra by teachers who had recently attended a GeoGebra training course, impacts on learner experience and achievement. The study was conducted in four disadvantaged and under resourced schools situated in rural areas of the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. Despite the curriculum’s encouragement to use educational technology in the mathematics classroom, and evidence of the benefits of such use, literature indicates that most mathematics teachers still struggle with effective technology integration into their classrooms. Within the non-equivalent quasi-experimental design of this study, a quantitative approach was used. The conceptual framework involved the first two levels of Kirkpatrick’s (1996) four level framework. Four Grade 10 classes comprising of 165 learners participated in this research. Data collection involved a questionnaire administered to the experimental group, as well as pre- and post-tests assessing the achievement of the learners regarding the properties of quadrilaterals administered to both the experimental and control groups. Results from the quantitative data analysis showed a significant difference in the mean scores with a mean difference of 6.5 in favour of learners taught with GeoGebra compared to a chalk and talk method. Implementation of and enthusiasm about GeoGebra had a positive influence on learner achievement. Analysis of the questionnaire responses indicated a positive reaction towards the use of GeoGebra in learning about quadrilaterals. Based on the results, it was concluded that GeoGebra as a pedagogical tool can work effectively in deep rural schools where geometry is hardly taught.
Highlights
Introduction and the BackgroundThe education system in South Africa has experienced many changes since 1994, when South Africa became a democracy
In this study it was found that learners taught with GeoGebra performed better than those taught without GeoGebra in these four rural, disadvantaged schools
Results from this study have shown that GeoGebra instruction can work effectively in deep rural schools where geometry is hardly taught by most teachers
Summary
Introduction and the BackgroundThe education system in South Africa has experienced many changes since 1994, when South Africa became a democracy. Changes to the Grades 10 -12 mathematics curriculum [1] include the introduction of new concepts and topics in the curriculum. Curriculum, Euclidean geometry was an optional topic, and Paper 3, in which it was examined, was not compulsory for Grade 12 learners. Introductory geometry has always been compulsory in the General Education and Training (GET) phase (Grade R-9), most teachers teaching mathematics in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase (Grades 10-12) [1, p. The inclusion of Euclidean geometry into the new curriculum [1] in the FET-band has been a challenge to a number of mathematics teachers [4], [5], because they were not taught geometry while they were learners themselves, and because their tertiary training for the most part did not include geometry. Many teachers continue to feel uncomfortable in teaching Euclidean geometry content [6] and feel that more training on content is needed
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET)
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
