A visualisation intervention in a grade 11 trigonometry class.

Abstract

The study investigated the impact of a visualisation intervention programme in a grade 11 trigonometry classroom. The literature confirms that visual strategies bring about much-needed improvement in trigonometry at secondary schools. Working within the interpretivism research philosophy, the study involved participants from a secondary school in the Umlazi District. To determine the impact of the visualisation intervention, distributed cognition was employed as the theoretical framework to understand its effectiveness. This research used a qualitative approach to gain deep insight into how visualisation impacts the effective teaching and learning of trigonometry. Purposive sampling was used to select participants and the data was generated through research instruments that included a questionnaire, pre-and post-tasks, structured and semi-structured interviews, and observation. The data were analysed following a thematic approach and findings were established using a thematic analysis of the data. The emerging themes included the strong need for collaboration and visual dynamism with beliefs and attitudes that are centred on learner development in trigonometry. This study showed a strong positive association between the use of visual representations and trigonometry achievement. The existing corpus of literature regarding this topic is in its nascent stages hence the need for this study was critical. Based on these findings, the study recommends the need for employing visual techniques to mitigate the abstraction of concepts in a sustained manner and to create and promote a culture for learning trigonometry, in addition to prioritising professional development of educators regarding visual strategies in pedagogical instructional design. Educators must encourage the use of visual strategies, not to supplant algebraic manipulation but to supplement it. For the general trend to change in the South African educational landscape, dynamic visual strategies must be implemented to transcend the microcosm of mathematics teaching and learning.