Fostering students’ definitions and images in parallelism and perpendicularity: A paper folding activity

Emine Catman-Aksoy 1 * , Mine Isiksal-Bostan 1
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1 Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Faculty of Education, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, TÜRKİYE
* Corresponding Author
EUR J SCI MATH ED, Volume 12, Issue 2, pp. 236-257. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/14360
Published Online: 14 March 2024, Published: 01 April 2024
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ABSTRACT

This study investigated the effect of a paper folding activity prepared to develop the sixth-grade students’ concept definitions and images of parallelism and perpendicularity concepts. The study also examined how the concept definition and images changed after the paper folding activity. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used. A one-group pre-/post-test design revealed that the paper folding activity had a significant positive effect on students’ concept definitions and images. In addition, the interviews after pre- and post-tests indicated that the students’ personal concept definitions of parallelism and perpendicularity of two lines/line segments began to match the formal concept definitions of these concepts after the paper folding activity. Lastly, missing and mis-in concept image situations, encountered generally in the pre-test, were observed less after the paper folding activity.
Keywords: concept definition, concept image, paper folding, parallelism, perpendicularity

CITATION

Catman-Aksoy, E., & Isiksal-Bostan, M. (2024). Fostering students’ definitions and images in parallelism and perpendicularity: A paper folding activity. European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 12(2), 236-257. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/14360

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