Effects of Dynamic Multiple Representations on Junior High School Students’ Academic Performance on Geometry and Attitudes towards Mathematics

• Main Authors: Chiu-Yuan Ling, 凌久原
• Other Authors: Fu-Yun Yu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/95584858221042790221

碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 教育研究所 === 95 === This research aimed to investigate the effects of two different types of visual representations (i.e., dynamic multiple representations and static multiple representations) on junior high school students’ academic performance on Geometry and attitudes towards Mathematics. This research further examined how individual’s visualization ability and measure times interactively influenced participants’ learning outcomes. Finally, this research explored the effects dynamic multiple representations enabled by dynamic geometry software (i.e., The Geometer’s Sketchpad, GSP ) had on students while learning geometry. An unequal-group pre-post test quasi-experimental research method was adopted. 73 eighth-grade students in two classes from Tainan Municipal An-Nan Junior High School participated in the actual study. The experimental group (i.e., dynamic multiple representations group) received instruction highlighting on the various characteristics and potential of GSP while the control group (i.e., static multiple representations) was instructed in an environment where the computer merely served as a tool to statically present geometry materials. The study took place in twelve 45-minute instructional sessions in about two weeks. During the two-week experimental time, purposively selected students from the experimental group were interviewed by the researcher at the end of each week so as to understand the effects dynamic multiple representations had upon students while learning geometry, including their conceptual understanding, formula memorization, and thinking strategies involved in solving problems. The instruments used in this study included Visualization Ability Assessment, Attitude toward Learning Mathematics Scale, posttest on geometry, semi-structured interview outline and worksheets. The results of this study were as follows: 1. In terms of academic achievement, students with high visualization ability were significantly suitable in the environment of dynamic multiple representations, but were not suitable in the environment of static multiple representations where students with low visualization ability were significantly suitable in the static multiple representations condition. 2. In terms of attitude toward mathematics, students with low visualization ability were significantly suitable in the environment of static multiple representations, but were not suitable in the dynamic multiple representations condition. All students improved their attitude toward mathematics after the study. 3. Integration of dynamic multiple representations while learning geometry helped students comprehend geometry concepts more deeply, and memorize geometry concepts more quickly and with delayed effect. Dynamic multiple representations also provided students with effective strategies for solving problems, strongly attracted their attention, changed their views that mathematics is merely “static,” and increased their interests in mathematics.