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Learning the Concept of Function With Dynamic Visualizations
Tobias Rolfes1, Jürgen Roth2, Wolfgang Schnotz3
1IPN - Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Kiel, Germany.
Frontiers in Psychology
|May 20, 2020
Summary
Dynamic visualizations significantly improve learning of the concept of function for secondary students compared to static representations. Interactivity within visualizations did not further enhance learning outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Mathematics Education
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Understanding the concept of function is crucial in mathematics.
- Traditional static representations may pose challenges for student comprehension.
- Dynamic visualizations offer potential for improved learning experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of static representations versus dynamic visualizations for learning the concept of function.
- To investigate the impact of interactivity within dynamic visualizations on learning outcomes.
- To explore potential aptitude-treatment interactions with visual-spatial ability.
Main Methods:
- A laboratory experiment involving 157 secondary-school students.
- Comparison of learning outcomes between static representations and two types of dynamic visualizations (linear and interactive).
- Assessment of visual-spatial ability to identify aptitude-treatment interactions.
Main Results:
- Students demonstrated significantly better learning with dynamic visualizations compared to static representations.
- No significant difference in learning outcomes was found between linear and interactive dynamic visualizations.
- No significant aptitude-treatment interaction was observed between visual-spatial ability and the learning methods.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic visualizations are more effective than static representations for teaching the concept of function.
- The level of interactivity in dynamic visualizations does not appear to significantly affect learning outcomes.
- Visual-spatial ability does not moderate the effectiveness of dynamic versus static representations in this context.
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