Teaching and learning linear programming (LP) in school using graphing calculator (GC)

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Date
2008-05
Authors
Peachemuthu, Malarvily
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Abstract
This study was designed to evaluate the potential of incorporating the Graphing Calculator (GC) in the teaching and learning of Linear Programming (LP) in a secondary school. Perspectives were taken from students and differences were observed between teaching activities with and without GC and student behavior with and without technology. 46 Form 5 students were selected. The effect of introducing GC to the teaching and learning process of Inequalities & Linear Programming, which is part of Additional Mathematics, was tested. A class of 23 Students was taught the linear inequalities and linear programming with incorporating GC in the instructional process while the control group of 23 students was taught using traditional method of learning and teacher centered learning. The students were continuously taught 4 lessons in the selected subject and evaluated with the pre- test and post test. The group of students exposed to GC was asked to fill in a questionnaire. The perception of adopting GC in teaching and learning process were identified by performing a series of statistical analyses by using a software namely Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The statistical test performed were two paired samples t-test, one independent t-test, cross tabulations and correlation analyses. The data was used to build descriptions of the students' understanding and the role the graphing technology might play in the development of learning and teaching process. The descriptive statistics used to depict the results in tabular and graphical plots. Overall results in this study indicate that the students agreed that the introduction of GC in the teaching and learning process improve their ability to grasp the fundamentals of inequalities and linear programming better.
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Keywords
Programming (LP) , Graphing calculator (GC)
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