An Investigation Into Teaching Practices that Integrate ICT to Promote Student Understanding of Geometry in a Bilingual Japanese Elementary School

Abstract

This study investigated factors that contribute to student understanding of Geometry in a bilingual elementary school in Japan. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of using Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS) on student understanding of geometry and student motivation for learning geometry in a bilingual context. Furthermore, the study aimed to investigate the manner in which a teaching approach based on the van Hiele teaching phases assists the equitable integration of subject-content and language-content in a bilingual context. The design involved a mixed-methods research approach, incorporating qualitative and quantitative procedures. The investigation focused on the manner in which geometrical class inclusion concepts develop, in particular, relationships among figures and their properties. Empirical evidence is provided to describe the developmental pathway for student understanding of geometry in a bilingual context. This evidence has theoretical as well as practical implications for teaching and learning. <br/> The van Hiele Theory, which comprises five levels of development in Geometry, provides the theoretical framework for this study. Numerous studies have focused upon the van Hiele levels and provided empirical evidence in support of the existence and nature of the levels. Pertinent to this study are the levels where students develop an understanding of the relationships among figures and their properties, which is van Hiele Level 2. Consideration is also given to the modification of van Hiele Level 2 – which splits Level 2 into two levels - and to Level 3. This study extends research into the van Hiele Theory by providing a focused analysis of the development of geometric understanding in elementary school students' learning in a bilingual context. This study utilised the SOLO Model to provide detailed characterizations to explain the diversity and individuality in learners' responses and growth, and to provide deeper insights into the van Hiele levels. <br/> Quantitative research instruments included the van Hiele Geometry Test (VHGT), and the Course Interest Survey (CIS). Qualitative research instruments included the coding of students' written responses using the SOLO Model, and six case studies that considered developmental changes through in-depth student interviews and work samples. The research participants for this study comprised 59 students, from two Grade Five elementary school classes at a bilingual school In Japan (aged 10-11 years). <br/> A major finding of this study is that a teaching approach based on the van Hiele teaching phases, delivered in the second language of English, successfully contributes to growth in students' geometric understanding observed in their first and second languages. Evidence from the VHGT also indicates that a teaching approach that is embedded with ICT is more effective in terms of delayed or long-term effects than a teaching approach based on traditional, paper-based methods. Through this research, it has been possible to identify and explore the challenges faced by elementary school students when encountering learning outcomes focused on geometry and language in a bilingual context. The description of a developmental pathway for Geometry, leading to an increased understanding of figures and their properties has resulted in the validation, and extension to a bilingual context, of van Hiele Transitional Level 1/2, van Hiele Level 2A, van Hiele Level 2B,van Hiele Level 3, and van Hiele Transitional Level 3/4. Through this exploration, it has been possible to re-conceptualise the SOLO model for a bilingual context resulting in The Bilingual Geometry Model (BGM).