Problem solving processes of pre-service mathematics teachers in a dynamic mathematics software supported environment: The case of a geometry problem

This research examines pre-service mathematics teachers' problem-solving processes in an environment supported by Dynamic Mathematics Software (DMS). The research was prepared in accordance with the qualitative research method and was designed as a case study. A geometry problem is considered a case. The participants consisted of 9 pre-service mathematics teachers at the 2nd-grade, 3rd-grade, and 4th-grade levels, three from each grade level, studying in the faculty of education of a large university in the Black Sea Region. The criterion sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods, was used to determine the participants. The criterion was that pre-service teachers could use Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP) from DMS. The reason for choosing this program was that pre-service teachers built the whole process. In the research, an activity that requires solving the problem known as Simson's Theorem was prepared in the GSP environment. The participants were asked to solve the problem in the content of the activity, which was prepared in a GSP environment with semi-structured individual interviews. The data obtained from the transcripts of the camera and audio recordings of all interviews and the screenshots of the GSP environment were evaluated by content analysis. According to the research results, during the problem-solving stages, the participants generally verified their correct thinking with the help of GSP by checking. They also had the opportunity to correct their wrong thinking by checking. With the visualization feature of the GSP, they concretized the given geometry problem, and with the dragging feature, they made exploratory predictions and generalizations. In this sense, the GSP software has played a role as an essential auxiliary tool in the problem-solving processes of pre-service mathematics teachers. According to the results reached within the scope of the research, suggestions for future research on the problem-solving process in the GSP environment are presented.