Difficulties faced by secondary level students in learning geometry
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Department of Mathematics Education
Abstract
This research was designed to find out the difficulties faced by secondary level
students in learning geometry with objective to explore the curricular factors that
produce the difficulty in learning geometry and identify the environmental factors of
learning difficulties in secondary level school students.
This study used mixed method design with sequential method. Purposive
sampling technique was adopted to take the sample. Sample based on100 students on
the public schools of Arghakhanchi district for questionnaire and diagnostic text.
Interviews were taken from mathematics teacher, low-achiever and high-achiever
students. The data of the research is analyzed on the basis of primary data. The
findings of this research may be generalized on remote areas schools of the country.
Findings showed that students had conceptual difficulties on the area of
understanding geometrical objects, terms, definition, properties and theorems etc. and
procedural difficulties on appropriate use of the geometrical tools, develop the
conclusion from the experimental verification, connect required condition to prove the
theorem, find the solution of application and appropriate formula use in appropriate
situation.
There are various environmental factors also responsible such as significant
implementation of the government policies, inadequate infrastructure of the schools,
lack of sufficient material for learning geometry, lack of I.C.T. lab, inappropriate and
insufficient training for mathematics teachers, anxiety and low interest of students
towards geometry, lack of reference books with the students, insufficient integration
of geometry curriculum, insufficient pre-knowledge of students, insufficient use of
multiple ideas of learning geometry like as project work, group discussion, work on
software such as geo-gebra, mathematica etc.