Document Type : Original Research Paper
Authors
Department of Mathematics, Abadan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Abadan, Iran
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The ever-increasing expansion of virtual education and the access of more and more people to mass communication tools, including mobile phones, caused this tool to be favored in order to increase the ease of learning and the optimal transfer of information. Since these media provide the role of a communication bridge between the teacher and the learner, their timely and correct use can play a significant role in the desired transfer of information and a better and easier understanding of the course materials by the learners. Learning with the help of programs that can be installed on smart mobile phones has been one of the teaching-learning methods in recent years, which is expanding dramatically as the advantages of technology in teaching and learning. The effectiveness of computer-aided learning on mathematical academic progress has been investigated in various studies. This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of teaching MATLAB graphic calculator that can be installed on a mobile phone on the performance and attitude towards mathematics among the 10th-grade humanities students.
Methods: The current study was applied in terms of its purpose and quasi-experimental in terms of method, with a pre-test and post-test design with experimental and control groups. The statistical population includedt the 10th-grade female students in the field of humanities in Khorramshahr in the academic year of 2021-2022 and the available sampling procedures were used The sample consisted of 46 students who were randomly assigned to each of the experimental and control groups, including 23 students. In order to collect the data, the short version of Lim and Chapman's (2013) math attitude questionnaire was used. The reliability of this questionnaire was checked by Cronbach's alpha. The value of Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient in the pre-test for the general scale of attitude towards mathematics was 0.87 and for the post-test, the alpha coefficient was 0.91. Also, math performance was measured by a teacher-made test. Its content and form validity were confirmed by the experts in the field of mathematics education, and the criterion validity of the math performance questionnaire was calculated by determining the Pearson correlation coefficient of math performance and attitude towards math in the pre-test at 0.42, which was consistent with the expectation of a positive relationship between performance and attitude towards mathematics. In order to check the reliability of the math performance test, due to the explanatory nature of the test questions, the reliability method of the correctors was used. Before the training, a pre-test was administered in two classes; then the experimental group was taught how to use MATLAB software and graphic calculator for seven sessions and each session lasted fifty minutes. But the control group received no training on this software. At the end, a post-test was given to both groups. Due to the non-normality of the data and the non-fulfillment of all the covariance analysis conditions, the data were analyzed using the normalized-gain method and Mann-Whitney test.
Findings: The results showed that the average attitude and math performance in the experimental group were higher than those of the control group and there was a significant difference between the two groups at 5% level of confidence. The effect size of the Mann-Whitney test was reported to be 0.22 for math performance and 0.21 for math attitude. Using Cohen's criterion, the size of this effect was moderate.
Conclusion: According to the results of this research, it appears that the use of MATLAB graphic calculator can play an effective role in creating a positive attitude as well as increasing the mathematical performance of humanities students in the tenth grade of high school. The use of programs that can be installed on mobile phones and graphic calculators in the curriculum, as well as content compilation in this field and its impact on evaluation has provided an opportunity to make changes with the aim of responding to the students' learning demand and create this possibility for constant learning without connection to a specific place or time.
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COPYRIGHTS
©2023 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.
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