Abstract:

The history of using computers to support learning stretches back over half a century. Studies in this field have indicated that the effect of computers on learning outcomes and students’ attitudes towards mathematics can be diverse. In particular, it depends on the way computers are used. As one of the problems, it has been noted that students in computerised mathematics lessons sometimes tend to simply click around or move sliders without thinking about the rationale behind these actions. As a solution, it has been suggested that guiding questions could be used to prompt students to look for connections and draw their own conclusions. In this quasi-experiment, the effect of computer use was investigated in relation to the learning of linear functions and inverse variation. The participants included 212 seventh-grade students, 128 of whom were in the experimental group and 84 in the control group. In the experimental group, a part of the learning was based on computers, with students having to use the GeoGebra software and task instructions to experiment and look for connections between different presentation modes of functions and for the connections between the function graph and the multipliers in the function equation. The exploratory learning in the experimental group was used as supplement, not as replacement of the traditional method. In the control group, students did not use computers for learning this topic. The results of the final test did not reveal any statistically significant differences between the learning outcomes of the experimental and control groups. However, according to the students in the experimental classes, computers made learning easier and helped them understand the topics. Students enjoyed this way of learning: 42% of the 115 respondents from the experimental group stated that their opinion of mathematics improved after computerised learning. This is a significant result, especially considering that enjoyment of the subject is a good foundation for engagement with mathematics.

Keywords:

Linear function, inverse variation, functions, GeoGebra, mathematics.