Research Article
Muhammad Noor Kholid, Rahmadani Fitri Nur Handayani, Safitri Nuraini
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 18, Issue 4, Article No: ep686
ABSTRACT
GeoGebra in mathematics learning can potentially be used to help students improve their mathematical communication and representation skills in solving problems. However, limited research has examined the integration of GeoGebra and contextual mathematics learning to improve these skills. The study aims to examine the effectiveness of GeoGebra in contextual mathematics learning on students’ mathematical communication and representation skills. Using a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design, the study involved 53 ninth-grade students from a junior high school, who were divided into experimental and control groups through purposive sampling. They participated in a five-session GeoGebra-supported contextual learning program. Data collection was conducted through a mathematical representation ability test and a mathematical communication observation sheet. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, and multivariate analysis of covariance to examine the simultaneous effects of the intervention on both dependent variables. The results revealed significant improvements in both mathematical communication and representation skills. The intervention produced a small effect on mathematical communication (Cohen’s d = 0.402) and a large effect on mathematical representation (Cohen’s d = 1.61), indicating stronger gains in students’ ability to construct and translate mathematical representations. The findings demonstrate that dynamic visualization combined with contextual problem-solving provides an effective learning environment for strengthening students’ mathematical communication and representation (Antara & Sutama, 2026; Kholid et al., 2024b; Septiani & Kholid, 2023). Unlike previous studies that primarily examined GeoGebra or contextual learning separately, the study provides empirical evidence that integrating dynamic visualization through GeoGebra with contextual learning activities can simultaneously enhance students’ mathematical communication and representation skills.
Keywords: GeoGebra, contextual learning, mathematical communication, mathematical representation, dynamic geometry software, transformation geometry
Research Article
Surachai Pimsalee, Aukkapong Sukkamart, Paitoon Pimdee, Chontawat Meedee
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 18, Issue 2, Article No: ep638
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to evaluate the current and desired software development skills within the context of Thai undergraduate teacher education. Specifically, the study investigated pre-service computer technology students’ perceptions of secondary learners’ software skill needs in authentic classroom contexts. Seventy-nine participants, including pre-service students, instructors, and teaching mentors, were selected via simple random sampling in June 2025. Data were collected using a 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire measuring current (D) and ideal (I) skill levels, with internal consistency coefficients of 0.87 and 0.96, respectively. The PNImodified (priority needs index modified) method and paired t-tests were used to analyze the gaps. Results showed that participants perceived actual skill levels as generally ‘competent’, while the desired levels were rated as ‘proficient’. The highest training needs were observed in deployment & maintenance (GSA6), followed by programming (GSA4), requirements analysis (GSA2), testing (GSA5), design (GSA3), and planning (GSA1), respectively. These findings highlight the need to align educational curricula with real-world software development practices, including DevOps, secure coding, and testing frameworks.
Keywords: PNI, pre-service ICT teachers, priority needs assessment, software development life cycle, software development skills, perception gap
Research Article
Paula Sofia Nunes, Paula Catarino, Paulo Martins, Maria Manuel Nascimento
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep436
ABSTRACT
There are several educational software (ES) used in the classroom environment for the teaching and learning of geometric contents that are part of the Portuguese basic education mathematics program. There are studies that show that the use of this type of artifact has a fundamental role in the behavior of students, raising, among other aspects, a greater motivation for learning mathematics. The aim of this work is to explore and describe implications for the behavior and learning of students in the 7th grade of Portuguese basic education, in face of a pedagogical practice that involves carrying out tasks using ES Plickers, in the theme similarities of the domain geometry and measurement, throughout intervention carried out. The adopted methodology presents characteristics of a quasi-experimental study. The participants were 61 students from three classes of a school in the north of Portugal, followed during eight consecutive classes. A set of tasks using Plickers, tests and a questionnaire survey were used as instruments for data collection. The results point to positive increments, at a behavioral level, as well as in the evolution of learning, in view of the use of this methodology in the classroom.
Keywords: educational software, Plickers, similarities, behavior, learning
Research Article
Shu Ling Wong, Su Luan Wong
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 4, Article No: ep326
ABSTRACT
This quasi-experimental study sought to investigate the effects of the motivational adaptive instruction on Malaysian students’ motivation towards mathematics in a technology-enhanced learning classroom. Geometer’s Sketchpad is used in the study to foster a technology-enhanced learning environment. The motivationally adaptive instructions were designed following the Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (ARCS) motivational model. The study adopted a non-equivalent control group design with pre-and posttest with two weeks of treatments. Two intact Form Two classrooms were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a comparison group — each with 20 students. The findings showed that Malaysian students had a slightly above-average level of motivation towards mathematics. The ANCOVA results showed that the intervention did not significantly improve the experimental group’s students’ motivation towards mathematics learning, despite having their motivation mean scores improve from Time 1 to Time 2. The results also showed that motivation and mathematics performance were not strongly correlated for this group of students. The weak relationship between motivation and mathematics performance among Malaysian students may be explained by the culture and value of East Asian towards education, which is discussed in this paper.
Keywords: motivation, mathematics, ARCS motivational model, Malaysia, Geometer’s Sketchpad, dynamic geometrical software
Research Article
Keith E. Nelson, Aran Barlieb, Kiren Khan, Elisabeth M. Vance Trup, Mikael Heimann, Tomas Tjus, Mary Rudner, Jerker Ronnberg
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 3, pp. 184-200
ABSTRACT
How individual differences in information processing affect second language (L2) learning has been unclear in prior research. Adults lacking prior skill in Swedish were pretested for working memory, processing speed, and executive memory capacity. Participants then received 6 computer-based instructional sessions with pictorial animations of Swedish sentences, with a built-in experimental contrast between some lessons at high and some at low rates of presentation. The faster rate carried greater processing demands for the learners. Higher levels of Swedish performance during Instructional sessions were associated with higher working memory levels, as expected from widely-used models of working memory (e.g., Baddeley & Hitch, 1994). In contrast, results at demanding long-term retrieval on a posttest were more complex and revealed several dynamic relationships between processing speed, working memory, and Swedish language learning. Learners with low rather than high working memory showed higher L2 skills at long-term testing when instructional lessons had employed fast animations. This first-time demonstration that prior cognitive profiles strongly influence learners’ progress in second language requires refinements in existing theories. Further, the results hold certain implications for tailoring second language teaching on-line or in other technology-based instruction to learner profiles on abilities in working memory, processing speed, and executive memory
Keywords: Educational technology, Software, Designing learner-sensitive procedures, Computer-assisted learning, Second language acquisition, Dynamic systems