Investigation of middle school students' triangle and quadrilaterals classification processes in the technologically supported environment in the context of instrumental approach

This study aims to examine the instrumental genesis processes of middle school 5th-grade students for shape makers, determine the instrumental action schemes they have revealed, and investigate the types of instrumental orchestration planned and used for this process. The model of the study, in which the qualitative research approach was adopted, was determined as a teaching experiment. The study was carried out with sixteen 5th grade students in a middle school, selected by purposeful sampling method, in the Fethiye district of Muğla province in the spring semester of the 2018-2019 academic year. Six different activities on triangles and quadrilaterals were designed using dynamic tools called shape makers prepared with Geometer's Sketchpad. These activities were used during the two-week teaching period with students who were divided into groups of two in a technology-supported classroom. The research data were collected through a screen and audio recording program installed on students' computers, a video camera installed in the classroom, researcher notes, worksheets, and interviews at the end of the teaching. The data for the students' instrumental action schemes were analyzed by the content analysis method, and the data for the instrumental orchestration were analyzed by the descriptive analysis method. As a result of the study, it was observed that the operational invariants in the instrumental action schemes of the students for the shape makers were firmly related to their interpretation of the hierarchy of triangles and quadrilaterals. In this context, students, who have operational invariants related to relations between the properties of the shapes in their schemes were able to make sense of the hierarchy of triangles and quadrilaterals. Whereas students, who did not contain these operational invariants in their instrumental action schemes, could not make sense of hierarchical relationships. Besides, in teaching where 16 different types of instrumental orchestrations were used, it was observed that predict-and-test, collaborative problem solving, and discuss-tech-without-it orchestrations supported the development of students' instrumental action schemes.