JOYFUL LEARNING OF CIRCLE GEOMETRY USING GEOGEBRA

Circle geometry is an aspect of geometry that many students in South Africa do not enjoy and are not motivated to learn. One possible reason for this is that most teachers find the topic difficult to teach because geometry was not part of the school mathematics curriculum when most of the teachers were trained. To enhance students learning of some mathematics concepts, many studies have advocated the use of technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics. This study investigated the effect of integrating GeoGebra in the teaching of circle geometry on students' motivation to learn and enjoyment of the lesson. APOS theory, which proposes that an individual has to have appropriate mental structures to make sense of a given mathematical concept, was used as the theoretical framework guiding the study. Two groups of students; the experimental group of twenty two students taught using GeoGebra and the control group of twenty five students taught using the conventional teaching method (the chalk and talk method) formed the sample for the study. Data on the students' enjoyment of the lessons and motivation to learn the topic were collected using a questionnaire. The study revealed that the experimental group students were more motivated to learn circle geometry and enjoyed the lessons more than the control group students. The experimental group students recommended the use of GeoGebra in teaching the topic. The implications of the findings to teaching and learning of geometry in South African schools are discussed and recommendations are made.