The role of the use of virtual manipulatives in covering the misconceptions about grade 7 algebrary expressions and equations

In recent years, with the widespread use of the internet and the increase in access to instructional technologies in school and out-of-school environments, virtual applications that can be used in the process of learning and teaching mathematics have increased. Online environments provide different opportunities for students to increase their understanding in the teaching process by making mathematical expressions concrete. Virtual manipulatives are one of the tools and applications that can be used in these environments. It is thought that virtual manipulatives help develop the skills of understanding the abstract concepts of mathematics, explaining and interpreting the concepts, associating the concepts with each other and using them to solve the problems they encounter. There is a need for materials that will support the development of students' abstract thinking, especially in terms of algebraic expressions and equations, which are encountered by students during the transition period from concrete operations to abstract operations. The aim of this research is to examine the role of the learning environment enriched with activity-based virtual manipulatives in mathematics lesson of 7th grade students in mathematics lesson in eliminating students' misconceptions, and evaluate the effects on their attitudes towards algebra learning field and student achievement. In the design of the research, a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest groups was used. A total of 60 students studying at the 7th grade level in a public school located in the city center of Tokat in the 2020-2021 academic year constitute the study group of the research. In the experimental group, virtual manipulatives developed by the researcher were used to explain the subject of algebraic expressions and equations in accordance with the curriculum. The students actively participated in every activity included in the course, and the teaching process was carried out with activity-based virtual manipulatives for four weeks. On the other hand, in the control group, the course was taught through online conference tools with the constructivist teaching method. Tests, scales and interviews were used as data collection techniques. The data of the research were obtained by "Misconception Test", "Algebra Achievement Test", "Attitude Scale Towards Algebra Learning Field" and "Semi-Structured Interviews". Quantitative data obtained were analyzed by independent t-test with the help of SPSS 26.0 software and turned into tables. Qualitative data were analyzed descriptively. The results of the study showed that there was a statistically significant difference in favor of the experimental group in terms of algebra success and elimination of misconceptions between the groups after the teaching process. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of attitudes towards the field of algebra learning. However, there was a significant difference in favor of posttest scores between the pretest-posttest attitudes of the experimental group towards learning algebra. According to the results obtained in the analysis of qualitative data, it was determined that the use of virtual manipulatives in teaching contributed to the academic success of the students and had a positive effect on the permanence of learning. In addition, it was concluded that the lessons taught by enriching with virtual manipulative activities increased the motivation of the students, the students were more active in the lessons and found the lessons interesting. Since most of the virtual manipulative resources available for the mathematics course are in foreign languages and there is a need for content compatible with the mathematics program achievements, it has been suggested to develop virtual manipulative software that will contribute to the teaching of different subjects and concepts. In addition, it has been stated that there is a need for arrangements that will positively affect the algebra attitudes of the students by improving the virtual manipulatives developed in this study in terms of design. The results of this study revealed that virtual manipulatives can benefit students in teaching and reinforcing the subject of algebraic expressions and equations. It is recommended to carry out more comprehensive studies by keeping the sample and duration of the study wider, and to carry out trainings and studies that will increase the awareness of teachers and teacher candidates about virtual manipulatives. Keywords: Virtual Manipulative, Algebra, Misconceptions, Mathematics and Technology, Computer Assisted Instruction