Tools for the Acquisition of Graphing Ability: Real-Time Graphing Technology

This study investigates the impact of Calculator-Based Ranger (CBR) activities in the performance of middle school students' graphing abilities of physical phenomena. Two issues about CBR activities on graphing abilities were addressed in this study; (1) the effect of CBR activities on graphing abilities, and (2) the influence of instructional styles on students' graphing abilities. Following the use of CBR activities, students' graphing abilities were significantly more developed in three components-interpreting, modeling, and transforming. Significant differences were found in students' achievement depending on instructional styles related to differentiation, which is closely connected to transforming distance-time graphs to velocity-time graphs. The findings of this study indicate that CBR activities may enhance students in constructing appropriate webs of related concepts and ability to qualitatively interpret graphs. Using collaborative CBR activities to introduce and explore graphing of physical phenomena is, therefore, recommended for inclusion in the secondary mathematics curriculum.