Exploring grade 10 learners’ perceptions of using Microsoft Teams as an online platform for learning trigonometric functions.

Abstract

The poor national mathematics results at the secondary school level, in general, and Trigonometry, in particular, resulted in numerous interventions by teachers and researchers to improve learners’ performance. In terms of teaching and learning, due to the coronavirus disease of 2019 pandemic, there was a shift to blended and online learning. The country's learners are exposed to different learning management systems (LMS). It is the next generation of online classrooms, or learning management systems (LMS) with many educational institutions embracing Microsoft Teams as their online platform of choice. This research illustrates the findings of the first doctoral research conducted that explores grade 10 mathematics learners using Microsoft Teams to learn trigonometric functions. The participants for this research are of 23 committed grade 10 mathematics learners. This qualitative research was conducted in a secondary school situated in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The research was framed by the theories of connectivism and social constructivism. The research covered a variety of data collection, which were observations of classes taking place, a pre-task, learners approach interviews, and post-task, and a reflective journal of the researcher. The data collected for this research was coded and analysed using the ATLAS.ti software tool. Inductive coding facilitated the identification of significant themes from the data, which appeared to be the most significant. Thematic analysis facilitated the extraction of significant insights from the collected data. Research has pointed out that the participants perceive that Microsoft Teams platform is simple and user-friendly. However, to utilise Microsoft Teams efficiently, it is crucial to have faster and more reliable internet connections. This research has comprehensively analysed the findings, consequences, and recommendations pertaining to the views and experiences of blended learning utilising Microsoft Teams for teaching trigonometric functions in mathematics. Although conducted in a classroom setting, this research has broader implications for the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning in higher education. Thus, the research is valuable since it exhibits how using blended learning in educational contexts may enhance teaching learning, and performance in mathematics. Thus, this research has implications for mathematics, mathematics education, and higher education nationally and internationally. This research benefits learners, learners, teachers, teacher educators, academics, researchers, curriculum, and policy developers in mathematics.