Development of proper education software and prototype in mathematics education and application with worksheets

XVI ABSTRACT Development of Proper Education Software and Prototype in Mathematics Education and Application with Worksheets Ayten ERDURAN CEYLAN Researching aiming the development of process skills in today's education system and especially in secondary mathematics, has been distressing both teachers and students. Because it is not possible to expect individuals which could not manage the conceptual learning to make correct and proper approaches to problem solving. Furthermore it can not be realistic to expect the sole achievement of process skills to be enough for the individual to keep up with the information age and to act as expected. Thus, as many things neither teachers, nor students focus on and neglected by various pretexts, it is inevitable for them to turn back to conceptual learning. It must be considered as a compulsory situation. Therefore it is a requirement to trend teaching methods-improving the individual mathematical powers of students- and, teaching technics as well. And assessment system has to be improved through this way. This research includes the preparation of a serial activities and a prototype software. The reason, why the function concept was chosen, is its principality of being one of the main concepts in mathematicss and mathematics education. Another reason impacting this election is, it is assumed the milestone of many other mathematical concepts. We can also say that, we were force -to an extend- to choose it because it is one of the subjects which are difficult to learn. The function concept was considered in different ways and presented to the student. Especially in prototype, visuality and animations took place. Sample of the research was composed of the 9th grade students 32 of whom were taken as experimental, and the other 32 of whom were taken as control group who were educating in a curriculum laboratory school in İzmir city. In addition, 16 mathematics teachers, one from each different public or private school. And his/her approaches to the application was observed-before and after giving information-face to face.XV11 The model of the research is experimental. A quantitive and qualitative research model was used together. The application was prepared with an approach of forming in computer and worksheets. Some of the data collection tools are a pretest for determining the experimental and control group and their pre-informations, and final test related to the subject in order to establish how the aim was reached after the application. In addition, the appropriate data of the developed software prototype was collected and analysed by means of developed evaluation scale. Another data collecting tool is the worksheets prepared for evaluation. In addition, a concept map and project work was prepared by the students and the data about the success of the student and impacts on her/his development. The qualitative data was obtained by the face to face interviews, with teachers and students. The qualitative data study was examined by using contex analysing method. Quantitative data were analysed by SPSS-Win programme statistically, by the points taken from pretest and final test and the data obtained by the opinions stated in the evaluation of the teaching software prototype. As a result, meaningful statistical differences were met between the students of experimental group and control group. Especially the differences through the visual structure was at a maximum level. Those are one of the important results that the experimental group had different approaches to the problem solving and make some generalizations and relations. In addition, it was found by the evaluation of the developed software prototype that it could be used as a learning tool without making changes on it. A set of results were reached depending upon the results obtained from the research related to the proceeding of the education system, substructure and technic and methods of learning. It is offered that we should get rid of some approaches and especially of some habits having a negative impact on the system. Keywords : Mathematics education, instructional software, functions, technology