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Identifier

000434612

Title

Μελέτη των κινήτρων πρωτοετών φοιτητών/τριών και η επιρροή της ενασχόλησή τους με την επίλυση πραγματικού προβλήματος εφαρμογής της αναλυτικής γεωμετρίας

Alternative Title

Study of first semester undergraduate students' motivation and the influence of their engagement with an application of analytic geometry on a real problem

Author

Λαγουδάκη, Ελένη

Thesis advisor

Κουρουνιώτης, Χρήστος
Αναστασάκης, Μαρίνος

Abstract

Transitional difficulties students face entering tertiary education that are linked to mathematics education, may result in disappointment and declining effort made by the students. Reinforcement of students’ motivation can support mathematics learning by affecting students’ engagement levels. Moreover, integration of mathematical modelling and applications in mathematics teaching appears to have a positive impact on motivation. This essay aims to study students’ motivation regarding a first-semester course of Analytic Geometry during the academic year 2019/20 at the department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics of the University of Crete. Additionally, the impact of students’ involvement with an application of Analytic Geometry to a real problem on their motivation is examined. The research tools used in order to investigate the aforementioned were two questionnaires that were given to students before, at the beginning of the semester, and after the completion of the activity three weeks later. A week after that, four semi-structured interviews occurred in order to gain insight into the effect the application had on students’ motivation, the analysis of which was based on the theoretical framework of Activity Theory. The research results showed that this teaching intervention influenced positively students’ interest about the course and perceived instrumentality of Analytic Geometry by modifying their Activity’s Subject. Moreover, those students who were involved in the activity appeared to be more intrinsically motivated with learning goals and appreciating demanding tasks. Overall, besides the differences between students’ motives that were observed, it appeared that students’ efforts regarding the course were highly linked to its final examination.

Language

Greek, English

Subject

Activity theory

Mathematical modelling

Motivation

tertiary education

Αναλυτική γεωμετρία

Εφαρμογές

Θεωρία δραστηριότητας

Κίνητρα

Μαθηματική μοντελοποίηση