Can Technology-Assisted Instruction Improve Theoretical Awareness? The Case of Fundamental Theorem of Calculus

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of technology-assisted instruction on theoretical awareness in terms of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (FTC), which is one of the important issues of undergraduate mathematics. In this study which is structured with regard to multi-method approach, the impact of the teaching experiment was assessed by using qualitative data on the basis of traditional environment. The research group consists of 84 students from a mathematics teacher training department at a state university; out of these students two groups have randomly been assigned, one as the experimental group and the other as control group. The tests which were carried out before and after implementations, used for determining instructional inputs-outputs and interviews conducted for evaluating students’ way of thinking. The findings show that the students in the experimental group, compared to the before treatment, solved integral problems considering with the necessary and sufficient condition of the FTC. Even though students in the control group achieved expressing the FTC, they failed to reflect their knowledge into practice. It has been concluded that a Computer Algebra System may enable to interpret the solution processes not only more analytical but also with a visual sense in the experimental group.