The objective of this study is to observe the effects that mathematical modeling has on learning in a first year middle school classroom, specifically in the area of utilizing linear equations.
The study is based on a worksheet developed by the rese...
The objective of this study is to observe the effects that mathematical modeling has on learning in a first year middle school classroom, specifically in the area of utilizing linear equations.
The study is based on a worksheet developed by the researcher and data from previous studies. The focuses of
study are the following:
1) Is there a significant difference in academic achievement between an experimental group in which mathematical modeling is applied and a control group in which it is not?
2) Is there a significant effect in mathematics attitude within the experimental group?
3) Analysis of the errors that students showed through mathematical modeling.
Two classes from the same middle school in Daegu were chosen, one class was assigned as the experimental group, the other the control goup. Comparative analysis via t-test on scores from the same mid-term exam showed that the two classes were a homogeneous group.
Research was conducted on the experimental group based on worksheets developed by the researcher over the course of five trials while the control group took classes based on traditional teaching methods. For verification of effectiveness of the study, a test was given to both groups after each of the five trials. Additionally, the experimental group underwent a mathematics attitude test before and after each trial. SPSS12.0k was used in the analysis of results.
The conclusion of this study is as follows:
Firstly, there was no significant difference in academic achievement between the two groups. However after dividing the problems into three categories :(1)quantities and age (2)distance and time (3)solvent concentration analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the first two categories, but there was a significant difference in the third. In this respect it may be stated that mathematical modeling has a positive effect given the fact that the majority of students find the third category more difficult than the first two.
Note that the duration of research was four weeks long which has proven too short a time to prove any significant difference between the two groups. Also the significant difference in the third category must not be overlooked and further extended research is necessary to show positive results in the first two categories.
Secondly, there was significant difference in the attitude towards mathematics within the experimental group. Six categories were tested and analyzed. There was no significant difference in the categories of volition and value while there was significant difference in the categories of confidence, flexibility, curiosity, and self-reflection. These results help us come to the conclusion that mathematical modeling may have a positive impact on students who are more or less uninterested in, and who may have a negative attitude towards mathematics.
Thirdly, the errors that students committed were analyzed. Calculation errors were most abundant followed by errors in forming equations, setting variables, logical errors, and converting answers respectively. Students who showed errors in setting variables appeared to have a narrow range in selecting variables due to the notion that "variable=X". Extensive coaching in the prerequisite unit "symbols and equations" is thought to be needed in these students. Students who showed errors in logic either had a tendency to substitute variables with numbers based on guessing, or used mental calculation.
Furthermore, in observing the students' work on the worksheets and the exams, students who drew up accurate models which contained all critical elements of the problem without error were able to proceed in solving the problem successfully. This is meaningful in the aspect that through this kind of process the student is given a basis for understanding the mathematical interpretation of the real world through mathematical modeling.
In conclusion, not only has it been shown that mathematical modeling can be a promising method by which a student can learn
how to solve problems in a more progressive and systematic manner, but also that it has a positive effect on a students'
mathematical attitude.