The integration of GeoGebra software in the teaching of mathematics in South African high schools
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Date
2020-06
Authors
Mokotjo, Lindiwe Gloria
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Mathematics achievement is known to be the pillar of a prospering society because of the critical and analytical skills it imparts to those who excel in it. South Africa is rated among the worst-performing countries internationally with the worst performance on high school level. Poor performance in mathematics is a global phenomenon and better performing countries have resorted to the integration of information and communication technology software as being one of the solutions to the problem. In South Africa, the issue of poor performance is acknowledged and various intervention strategies for improving mathematics performance have been implemented. Such initiatives include, among other things, lesson study, the use of manipulatives and the integration of technology. However, the Second Information and Technology in Education Study 2006 report, which probed the pedagogical use of information and communication technology across the world, found that South Africa was lagging behind in the integration of technology, although most South African schools had access to computers and the Internet. There is a widespread phenomenon of training teachers in the integration of information and communication technology and, particularly, GeoGebra software in the teaching of mathematics in South African high schools. Using technological pedagogical content knowledge as a lens, this qualitative study used semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations and document analysis to collect the necessary data. The data were collected from four purposively selected high school mathematics teachers from three different schools in the North-West Province. The key finding from this study was that teachers perceived GeoGebra as a valuable tool in the teaching of high school mathematics within the South African context, despite the challenge that it was time consuming to prepare for a lesson incorporating GeoGebra. They found GeoGebra useful in creating a fun learning environment while allowing learners to visualise and conceptualise the abstract concepts in mathematics. Furthermore, the study established that teachers had limited knowledge of GeoGebra features and lacked pedagogical content knowledge in terms of their practices in teaching with GeoGebra. The study concludes that the integration of GeoGebra and any other mathematics software or hardware does not happen in isolation to the social factors that affect the learning environment. Furthermore, the study concludes that professional development of teachers in the integration of GeoGebra is not conducted in a manner specified in the Guidelines for Teacher Training and Professional Development in ICT (DBE, 2007). Therefore, this study recommends the enhancement of professional development with a focus on GeoGebra because of its strong link to the South African curriculum. Professional development takes strong measure in securing information and communication technology tools for learners to gain practical experience of learning with technology.
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Keywords
Thesis (Ph.D. (Education Studies))--University of the Free State, 2020, GeoGebra Software, Information and communication technology, Information and communication technology integration, Teacher practices, Mathematics -- Study and teaching, Teachers -- Training of, Teaching -- Practice