The effects of applications of comics in teaching distance-time graphs for upper secondary students

In this research proposal, we will, therefore, look at how a teacher can effectively use comics while teaching upper secondary students the topic of Distance-Time Graphs. Research entails that the problem is among the mathematics areas whereby the students face a challenge in grasping the concepts they are taught and even lose concentration more quickly while the teacher is teaching thereby falsely conceptualizing that mathematics is a difficult subject. The concepts entailed in this paper are in liaison to the existing literature review that the use of humor is one of the best ways to draw the attention of students while teaching them. When humor is applied in conjunction with the visual presentation, the monotony of theoretical and teaching through lecture method is broken, and the student’s concentration is greatly enhanced.

The problems that students encounter while learning Distance-Time Graphs have also been elaborated in this paper, and the methodology through which comic can be incorporated into teaching and learning process in this area has also be shown for practical application in the Brunei Darussalam Schools. To solve mathematical problems, there is the need to have critical thinking and reasoning. This is because there is a high probability of making errors when an individual is not attentive. According to Nelson et al. , (2010), they argued that most children that experience difficulties in learning mathematics also have problems with sciences such as physics. A large number of those who fail to understand mathematical concepts also find it difficult to interpret simple scientific explanations. Technological advancements have affected the learning capabilities of young children (Sharma, 2013).

According to Sharma, most of the students that depend on technology or spend too much time using technology are considered to have a lower capacity to understand mathematical concepts. This is due to them being accustomed to visual observations through technology than being dependent on general misconceptions. In learning institutions, most students cannot do their mathematics without struggling. They struggle to remember the concepts they learned in the classroom when they are doing their examinations. The survey indicated that the students could take the mathematics lessons more interesting. The conceptualization of the ideas and facts improved when comics were introduced (Toh & Lui, 2014) On the other hand, the students have not mastered the Distance-Time graph topic because it requires an understanding of the story.

Based on the researcher’s observations and informal interviews with the teachers, most of the teachers were having difficulties in teaching Distance-Time graph. The students found it difficult to understand the concept and the stories that were given since they are not able to relate them to the real situation. Aims and Objectives of the study This study has a general goal of introducing comics in the teaching of mathematical and scientific concepts for students in secondary schools. The significance of the study This research study has a lot of significance in the education sector. The significance of the study includes: 1. Helping the students to be better performers in mathematics among other science subjects 2. To help instructors teach their students with learning difficulties better 3.

To help in analysing the effects of using visual aids in the classroom as compared to contemporary learning. Furthermore, the school selected for the study may be unwilling to provide the required information in the long run leading to problems in the consistency of data collected. LITERATURE REVIEW Mathematics is thematically unified by the constituents of functions, relationships, and patterns. Students, from the earliest of ages, ought to be invigorated to examine patterns found in shapes, expressions, and numbers which then allows them to make mathematical discoveries. Children should be provided with opportunities to create, analyze and extend a variety of mathematical patterns and use pattern-based thinking to represent and understand real-world mathematical phenomena. As Lesh, Hamilton, and Kaput (2007) noted, these explorations then present them with unlimited opportunities to make and verify generalisations, solve problems, build an understanding and confidence in mathematics.

Furthermore, mathematical tasks require appropriate problem-solving skills that enhance the formation of logical solutions. Arguably, the use of comic in teaching mathematics is ideal for improving problem-solving skills and more so to secondary students in the 21st century. According to Toh et al. (2017), it is crucial to prepare the future generation for the advancing technology, which means that developing critical mathematics thinking skills among the contemporary students is vital as the future challenges are to be adequately handled. Therefore, the application of comics in classrooms is one way through which students can be prepared for future challenges. Various approaches can be used to visualize knowledge, which includes animations, maps, diagrams, sketches, and visual metaphors (Yusoff et al. These approaches can be used to present knowledge in such a way that the students know the what, why, how, who, and where of the problem being solved.

Furthermore, Bobek and Tversky (2016) hold that visualization can help students see concepts that are difficult to explain. Visual explanations help learners to see the ideas more swiftly than words and figures do. They provide inference, which enhances their spatial thinking abilities that are crucial in the future world. Problems Faced by Students When Dealing with Distance-Time Graphs Graphing is used to simplistically and representatively display data to aid in the analysis of relationships between variables (Wavering, 1989). Studies into the graphing abilities of school going children postulate the themes of the graphical measuring and reading abilities of these children and the logical reasoning behind these processes. For example, in Pratt’s (2009) study of graphical perception among school-going children, his findings postulate a continuum of aspects judged in a rank of accuracy from the most to least accurately judged being: graphical positioning along common scales, graphical positioning on identical but non-aligned scales, length, angling, sloping, area, volume, densities, color saturation and color hues.

Cleveland and McGill (1985) noted that while line graphs are the most difficult to interpret among school-going children, two-dimensional graphs and circular graphs are easily interpreted. These results are echoed in Peterson and Schramm's (1954) research that found line graphs being highly inaccurately read, with a 0. However, a significant realisation made is on the lack of efforts concerted towards the developments of mathematics instructional materials based on comics among the teaching fraternity. There exists a limit to the number of studies conducted on the usefulness of the use of comics for the teaching of mathematical concepts among British students. The use of comics in the teaching of mathematical concepts is an area worth exploring as studies elsewhere (such as Singapore) have proved its usefulness in increasing motivation and engagement among school going children (Toh et al.

METHODOLOGY Research methodology refers to techniques used in determining sample size, data collection and analysis techniques as well as modes of presenting research outcome. This study will adopt a mixed method research that includes both qualitative and quantitative analyses in trying to investigate the effects of introducing comic learning techniques in learning graphs of distance-time. Kemmis argues that the main reason for adopting action research is that it involves different techniques that provide “accounts of planning, action, observation and reflection” as indicated in the figure below. Figure 2: Action research model (Kemmis, 1982) It is a research design that helps in evaluating understanding among the learners through intervention and identification of misconceptions concerning certain subjects because they are believed to interfere with the process of understanding new concepts, especially in Mathematics and science-related subjects (Doolittle & Camp, 1999).

This is to mean that students’ misconceptions in mathematical concepts, especially distance-time graphs have effects on their applications in real-life situations and hinder their effective learning process in the long run. Also, action research mainly concentrates on providing solutions to different life challenges by engaging learners in a serious learning process (Reason & Bradbury, 2008). Therefore, the study will adopt an action research approach to determine whether students’ understanding of mathematics concepts in Brunei Schools can be improved using a comic approach. If a student is unable to understand how his/her friend’s idea is connected to the topic being tested and in case the concerned student failed to give an explanation behind why a certain mathematical concept should be considered, then such questions should be posed to the facilitator or teacher.

Once the first cycle will have ended, the results collected will be recorded in a rubric and later developed into cycle 2 which seeks to improve knowledge among the learners as well as their quality of learning skills to correspond with mathematical concepts required in plotting distance-time graphs. Also, clarification questions and feedbacks will help in improving the next cycle. In every cycle, the students will be allocated one hour to plot and interpret straight line and speed graphs and later present hand in their answers for marking by the concerned teacher as the researcher observes and records down their scores following a rubric. Students will be allowed to use books and other resources to source any information that can help them in plotting and interpreting their graphs.

According to the Cambridge Assessment International Examination’s (formally known as Cambridge International Examination) syllabus of IGCSE Mathematics Core (0580), the lesson objectives for the topic of Distance-Time graphs are as follows: 1. Students are able to interpret and use graphs in the practical situation including travel graphs and conversion graphs – in this case, the researcher will be focusing on Travel Graphs. Students are able to draw graphs from the given data. Prior to this topic, students should have finished the topic of Straight Line Graphs and Speed. Before the researcher proceeds with Distance-Time Graph, the researcher must conduct a starter or a recalling lesson for the prior topics as the students will not be able to learn Distance-Time graphs without these two topics.

It will help in the process of reflecting on students’ progress for the intended study. Reflection There will be a reflection of the data collected from the study. The reflection will include analysing the data and understanding the existing trends in the understanding of mathematical concepts with the help of comic materials. The reflection will then be helpful in making conclusions concerning the introduction of comics to the teaching of math. Participants The participants who will be participating in the study will be from Year 11 that are taking IGCSE Mathematics in a local government secondary school. The researcher have read the examiner’s comments from the past examination papers and the researcher will extract the two examination questions based on the comments provided.

Reliability and Validity. A test for reliability and validity will occur as the researcher is a pre-service teacher and still need a confirmation from experienced teacher for the mathematical contents that incorporated in the comic. Especially with the pre and post-test, the questions used will be assessed by the experienced teachers. Furthermore, the researcher will conduct a pilot test for the comics and the test papers. Do you think comic can improve the way you think? Questionnaires The research will involve the use of questionnaires for the collection of primary data. A questionnaire can involve open-ended or closed-ended questions or both depending on the nature of the study. It is considered to be an effective method of data collection. In this case, questionnaires will be given to the participating individuals who will then be asked to fill in the questions by selecting the provided choices within a period of time.

It will contain closed-ended questions that will help in limiting the kind of answers that the students will provide concerning the use of the comic material in learning mathematics. O. , & Olusegun, S. Constructivism learning theory: A paradigm for teaching and learning. Journal of Research & Method in Education, 5(6), 66-70. Bell, D. Cho, H. , Osborne, C. , & Sanders, T. Classroom experience about cartooning as assessment in pre-service Mathematics content course. Journal of Mathematics Education at Teachers College, 6(1), 45–53. Science, 229 (x), 828-833. Culbertson, H. M. , & Powers, R. D. v16i1. 706 H-Y Phoon, R Roslan, M Shahrill, H M Said, & R C I Prahmana. Featuring the comic ‘nym the leaf fairy’ in teaching about the plant systems at elementary school science.  Paper presented at the International Conference on Mathematics and Science 2018 (ICMScE 2018), 1-7.

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Learning Science and Mathematics Online Journal, 2014(1), 1-10. B. , Frymier, A. B. , & Irwin, J. An explanation of the relationship between instructor humor and student learning: Instructional humor processing theory. , & Miswan, S. H. Visual Representation: Enhancing Students' Learning Engagement through Knowledge Visualization. 2013 International Conference on Informatics and Creative Multimedia. doi:10. How does using comics in mathematics makes you more attentive in the learning process? 7. Why do you think comics are more inspiring than the boring texts in a mathematics book? 8. How has comics helped you in correlating mathematic ideas? Appendix D – Questionnaire PART 1 Personal Information (Tick where appropriate) Please indicate your gender? Male [] Female [] Grade level (optional) PART 2 Please tick to what extent you agree with the following. 1 – Strongly disagree 2 – Disagree 3 –Neutral 4 – Agree 5 – Strongly Agree No Strongly disagree disagree Neutral agree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 Studying mathematic using comic is fun I have improved after using comic in learning mathematics I have a clear understanding when comic are used distant time graphs I don’t the use of comic has helped a lot.