doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2024.14.4.2075
Evaluating Students’ Perception of Visual Mathematics in Secondary Geometry Education: A Mixed Methods Investigation
Ibrahim A Khalil1
,
Modhi Ali Al-Aqlaa2 ,
Thamer Ali Al-Wahbi2 ,
Yousef Wardat3,*
- 1College of Education, University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia
- 2College of Education, Riyadh Education Department, Saudi Arabia
- 3Higher Colleges of Technology, United Arab Emirates
- Manuscript receivedNovember 15, 2023
- revisedDecember 13, 2023
- acceptedDecember 28, 2023
- publishedApril 7, 2024
Abstract
The present study aimed to assess the perspectives of female secondary school students on the integration of visual mathematics in engineering lessons. Employing a mixed-methods approach, specifically a convergent parallel design, qualitative data were gathered through observations and interviews (both individual and focus groups), while quantitative data were collected using a questionnaire. Video clips of engineering unit lessons were utilized as educational materials. The study included 135 female students in the first year of secondary school, with 74 participating in qualitative segments, divided into focus groups and individual interviews. SPSS was employed for quantitative data analysis, calculating means and standard deviations, while thematic analysis was applied for qualitative data. Key findings indicate that visual displays significantly contributed to enhancing female students’ comprehension of mathematical concepts, facilitating the understanding of inter-concept relationships and their application in engineering. The incorporation of visual aids also positively impacted the mathematical coherence abilities of female students, establishing connections between mathematics, other subjects, and real-life situations. Furthermore, visual presentations in engineering topics were found to improve female students’ attitudes toward learning mathematics, fostering increased self-confidence and enjoyment in learning various engineering subjects. Recommendations from the study include the need for training both male and female teachers in designing effective visual presentations for teaching mathematical concepts.
Keywords
- visual mathematics
- mathematical representation
- mixed study
- secondary-school stage
- geometry
How to Cite
Ibrahim A Khalil, Modhi Ali Al-Aqlaa, Thamer Ali Al-Wahbi, and Yousef Wardat, "Evaluating Students’ Perception of Visual Mathematics in Secondary Geometry Education: A Mixed Methods Investigation," International Journal of Information and Education Technology, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 542-551, 2024. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2024.14.4.2075
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2024 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).