Effect of Apos Instructional Approach with Geogebra on Pre-Service Teachers’ Performance in Linear Programming

Abstract

Background: The Pedagogical process of using Technology is growing at a phenomenal rate and has been proven useful as a tool in supporting and transforming teaching and learning, especially in the Mathematics classroom. As a result, educationists see the urgent need for integrating technology into students’ mathematical activities.

Objective: the purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate students’ understanding of learning linear programming using GeoGebra.

Method:One hundred  pre-service teachers from Abetifi Presbyterian College of Education, College Algebra students participated in this study with one group assigned as the experimental and the other as the control group respectively. The control group was taught linear Programming using the lecture method while the experimental group underwent learning using the Geogebra approach. The Pre-Service teachers’ mathematics achievement was measured using post- tests at the end of the intervention, and a questionnaire was also used to ascertain the impact of GeoGebra on their understanding. The test format was based on College Algebra EBS102 Course Outline.

Results:Independent samples t-test results showed that there was a significant difference in mean mathematical achievement between the GeoGebra Experimental group  and the Control group . This study also found that, there was statistically significant difference in the pre-test control group  and the Post-test Control group  The findings also showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the scores for the pre-test Experimental group  and the scores of the Post-test experimental group .

Conclusions:These findings showed that the use of GeoGebra enhanced the students’ performance in learning linear programming. It was also statistically inferred from questionnaires through percentage testing, that students instructed with GeoGebra were more motivated to learn linear programming than those instructed without the software, hence it was recommended that teachers employed GeoGebra software in teaching and learning Linear Programming and any other mathematics topics.