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TEACHERS‟ INTENTION TO USE GEOGEBRA IN TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN MALAYSIA

BY

SOHEILA BELGHEIS SHAHMOHAMMADI

A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Education

in Curriculum and Instruction

Kulliyyah of Education

International Islamic University Malaysia

NOVEMBER 2014

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ABSTRACT

In light of technological tool advancements in teaching and learning, this study assessed Malaysian teachers‟ perception of dynamic mathematics software, GeoGebra, towards their intention to use it in the teaching of mathematics in the classroom. Following the Extended Technology Acceptance Model of this study, teachers‟ Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEU), and Perceived Current Competencies (PCC) of GeoGebra were three independent variables whose relationship with teachers‟ Intention to Use (IU) it in the teaching of mathematics and also their variation were investigated in this study. In addition, this study examined the differences between female and male teachers, as well as users and non-users of the software in their perception and intention to use GeoGebra in mathematics teaching. An online survey was conducted to collect data from 132 teachers who had participated in GeoGebra workshops in Malaysia and were familiar with its features and usage. Descriptive, bivariate correlation, independent samples t-test, and multiple regression analysis were used to address the research questions of this study. The results of this study revealed a positive relationship between PU, PEU, and PCC with IU and also determined that perceived usefulness and perceived current competencies were two significant predictors for intention to use GeoGebra in the teaching of mathematics, while perceived ease of use was not a significant predictor. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in terms of gender but a significant difference between users and non-users of GeoGebra in the teachers‟ perception and intention to use the software.

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ثحبلا صّخلم

رظن ةهجو مييقتب ثحبلا اذى ماق دقف ميلعتلاو سيردتلا في ةينقتلا تاودلأا رّوطت لظ في يكيمانيدلا يضايرلا جمانبرلا هاتج ينيزيلالما ينسردلما في مهتين ىلع كلذ رثأو ابرجويج

( ايجولونكتلا لّبقت جذومنل اعبت .لصفلا لخاد تايضايرلا سيردت في اهمادختسا TAM

)

،ةكردلما مادختسلاا ةلوهسو ،ينسردلما ىدل ةكردلما ةوجرلما ةدئافلا نإف ثحبلا اذله عّسولما ا تايطعلما يى ابرجويج جمانرب مدختسلا ةكردلما ةيلالحا ةءافكلاو تم ثيح ةلقتسلما ةثلاثل

اهنيب اميف فلاتخلااو تايضايرلا سيردت في اهمادختسلاا في ينسردلما ةينب اهتقلاع ةسارد ثانلإا ينب تافلاتخلاا ةساردب ثحبلا اذى ماق كلذ لىإ ةفاضلإاب .ةساردلا هذى نمض رظنلا ةهجو ثيح نم ابرجويج جمانبرل ينمدختسلما يرغو ينمدختسلما ينبو روكذلاو في ةينلاو

نم تانايبلا عملج ةينوتركلإ ةنايبتسا ءارجإ تم .تايضايرلا سيردت في اهمادختسا 231

وصئاصبخ ةيارد ىلع مىو ايزيلام لخاد ابرجويج لوح تارود في اوكراش دق ًاسردم ا تاقلاعلاب ةناعتسلاا تم .وتامادختساو رابتخاو يفصولا ةيددعتلا ةيئانثل

"

تي

"

ةلقتسم تانيعل

لتحو ةيبايجإ ةقلاع ثحبلا اذى جئاتن ترهظأ .ثحبلا ةلئسأ ىلع ةباجلإل ددعتلما رادنحلاا لي ىلع ةكردلما ةيلالحا ةءافكلاو ،ةكردلما مادختسلاا ةلوهسو ،ةكردلما ةوجرلما ةدئافلا نم لكل

ةيلالحا ةءافكلاو ،ةكردلما ةوجرلما ةدئافلا نأب اضيأ تفشكو ،مادختسلاا في ةينلا ناك ةكردلما

ات

رشؤم ني برتعم ني ةلوهس امنيب ،تايضايرلا سيردت في ابرجويج مادختسا في ةينلا ديدتح في

ينب رَكذُي قرف كلانى نكي ملف كلذ لىإ ةفاضلإاب .ًابرتعم ًارشؤم نكت لم ةكردلما مادختسلاا

ثيح نم ينمدختسلما يرغو ابرجويج جمانرب يمدختسم ينب يربك قرف رهظ انمإو ينسنلجا

مهتينو ينسردلما رظن ةهجو

.جمانبرلا مادختسا في

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APPROVAL PAGE

I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction.

………..

Rosemaliza Mohd Kamalludeen Supervisor

I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion; it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction.

………..

Tunku Badariah Tunku Ahmad Examiner

This dissertation was submitted to the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction.

………..

Muhammad Zahiri Awang Mat

Head, Department of Curriculum and Instruction

This dissertation was submitted to the Kulliyyah of Education and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction.

………..

Rosnani Hashim

Dean, Kulliyyah of Education

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this thesis is the result of my own investigation, except where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions.

Soheila Belgheis Shahmohammadi

Signature………. Date …...

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INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH

Copyright ©2014 by International Islamic University Malaysia. All rights reserved.

TEACHERS’ INTENTION TO USE GEOGEBRA IN TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN MALAYSIA

No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below.

1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement.

2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes.

3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieval system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries.

Affirmed by Soheila Belgheis Shahmohammadi

……..……..……… ………..

Signature Date

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This dissertation is dedicated to my kind mother,

my compassionate father, and my beloved husband,

For their patience, encouragement, and support

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, my highest praises and thanks are to Allah Almighty, as his blessing, graces, and guidance were strong lights in my enjoyable journey to higher level of intellectual and spiritual enrichment at IIUM.

Then, my sincere appreciation is extended to my dear supervisor, Dr.

Rosemaliza Mohd Kamalludeen, who extremely helped and supported me in all stages of completing my research, even when she was on her pregnancy leave. May Allah bless her and her dear family. I would also like to express my special thanks to Dr.

Mohd. Burhan Ibrahim for his invaluable assistance and guidance in completion of my dissertation. My deep appreciation goes to all my lecturers and staffs of Post Graduate office at the Faculty of Education, who contributed me in so many ways to conduct this project.

Moreover, I am really indebted to my caring parents, Pari and Abbas, my patient husband, Manouchehr, and my beloved sons, Mahdyar and Mohammad, as without their encouragement and understanding, I would never have the chance to pursue my study.

The last not the least, I would like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to all of my friends, particularly Fatemeh and Tahereh whose accompanying was motivating and energizing in this journey.

May Allah bless all of them.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract ... ii

Abstract in Arabic ... iii

Approval page ... iv

Declaration ... v

Copyright Page ... vi

Dedication ... vii

Acknowledgement ... viii

List of Tables ... xi

List of Symbols ... xii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ... 1

1.1 Background of Study ... 1

1.2 Problem Statement ... 3

1.3 Purpose of Study ... 5

1.4 Research Question ... 5

1.5 Theoretical Framework ... 6

1.6 Conceptual Framework ... 8

1.7 Significant of Study ... 9

1.8 Limitations ... 10

1.7 Definitions of Terms ... 11

1.8 Summary ... 13

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ... 14

2.1 Technology Integration into Mathematics Education ... 14

2.2 Dynamic Mathematic Software GeoGebra ... 17

2.2.1 Effectiveness of Using Dynamic Software in Mathematics Education... 19

2.2.2 Barriers to Use of Technology in Mathematics Education ... 21

2.3 Teachers‟ Perception of Usefulness and Ease of Use of Mathematics Software ... 23

2.4 Teachers‟ Perception of Current Competencies to Use Technology ... 25

2.5 Gender Differences in Technology Integration ... 30

2.6 Summary ... 31

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ... 32

3.1 Population And Sampling Procedure... 32

3.2 Sample Size ... 33

3.3 Data Collection ... 33

3.4 Instrument ... 34

3.5 Validity And Reliability ... 35

3.6 Data Analysis ... 36

3.7 Summary ... 38

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CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND FINDINGS ... 39

4.1 Introduction... 39

4.2 Data Collection and Response Rate ... 39

4.3 Demographic Data ... 40

4.4 Reliability of Items ... 41

4.5 Descriptive Analysis ... 42

4.6 Gender Difference in Teachers' Perceptions ... 45

4.7 Differences Between Users and Non-users of GeoGebra... 47

4.8 Relationship Between Teachers‟ Perception and Their Intention to Use GeoGebra ... 48

4.9 Variation in Mathematics Teachers' Intention to Use GeoGebra ... 50

4.10 Summary ... 54

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ... 56

5.1 Introduction... 56

5.2 Summary of The Findings ... 58

5.3 RQ 1: Gender and Intention to Use ... 59

5.4 RQ 2: Usage of Geogebra and Intention to Use ... 60

5.5 RQ 3: Relationship Between Teachers‟ Perception and Intention to Use GeoGebra ... 61

5.5.1 Teacher Perceived Current Competence and Their Intention to Use GeoGebra ... 62

5.6 RQ 4: Variation in Mathematics Teachers' Intention to Use GeoGebra .. 64

5.7 Recommendations For Practice ... 66

5.8 Recommendations For Further Research... 68

BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 69

APPENDIX ... 77

Questionnaire ... 77

Invitation E-Mail ... 82

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LIST OF TABLES

Table No. Page No.

3.1 Data Analysis Methods 38

4.1 Respondents Demographic Information 41

4.2 Cronbach‟s Alpha Values for The Constructs under study 42

4.3 Descriptive Statistics of the Constructs under Study 43

4.4 Descriptive Statistics of Gender across Variables 44

4.5 Descriptive Statistics of User and Non-User of GeoGebra across Variables 45

4.6 Results of Independent Samples T-test on Female and Male Teachers‟ Perception towards Using GeoGebra 46

4.7 Results of Independent samples T-test on User and Non-user of GeoGebra 48

4.8 Results of Correlation Analysis 49

4.9 Summary of Multiple Regression Model 51

4.10 Table of ANOVA from MRA 51

4.11 The Coefficients Table of the MRA Test 52

4.12 Stepwise Multiple Regression Model Summary 53

4.13 Coefficients Table from Stepwise Multiple Regression 53

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LIST OF SYMBOLS

CAC Computer Algebra Systems DGS Dynamic Geometry Software DMS Dynamic Mathematics Software GPL General Public License

IDT Innovation Diffusion Theory IGI International GeoGebra Institute

NCTM National Council of Teachers of Mathematics PCC Perceived Current Competence

PEU Perceived Ease of Use PU Perceived Usefulness

SAMR Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition SPSS Statistical Package for Social Science

TIM Technology Integration Matrix

TPACK Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge TPB Theory of Planned Behavior

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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1. BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Undoubtedly, considering the role of computer technology as a beneficial tool in teaching and learning in the classrooms should not be underestimated. In mathematics education, new computer-based technology has been declared as an essential and useful instrument for the teaching and learning of mathematics in schools by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2000) because it has a great potential in enhancing students learning. New technology not only can improve students‟ motivation and increase their confidence (Bialo & Sivin-Kachala, 2000), but also allows teachers to provide more effective and flexible methods to teach according to their students‟ need and their level of difficulty (NCTM, 2000).

VanVoorst (1999) believes that new technology has a great potential in assisting students to consider mathematics as an active practice in the classrooms in terms of reasoning, asking creative questions, exploring, problems solving, and generating new ideas rather than a passive practice of learning and memorizing a series of fixed and abstract rules and procedures. Furthermore, using new technology which leads to better visualization of the mathematical concepts can bring a novel dimension into the teaching and learning of mathematics in the classroom.

Taking an example from Dynamic Mathematics Software (DMS),GeoGebra is currently a popular instructional tool which has been designed for mathematics education suitable for students from elementary to college level (Hohenwarter &

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Lavicza, 2009). This powerful program provides calculus, algebra, and geometry altogether. In other words, it is a software that combines dynamic geometry software and computer algebra systems features in a single package (Hohenwarter, Hohenwarter, & Lavicza, 2010). Discovering new patterns, exploring and testing conjectures, and manipulating various geometric shapes are some examples of activities that students can do and practice through activities; for instance, designing and drawing their own sketches by the use of the dynamic mathematics software (Stols & Kriek, 2011). Some findings had indicated that GeoGebra can greatly improve the discovery learning process (Mainali & Key, 2012) and also students‟

motivation, engagement, and achievement in the mathematics subject (Dogan & Içel, 2011).

However, despite the innumerable advantages of utilizing DMS in mathematics education, its rare usage has been reported by several researchers (Cuban, Kirkpatrick,

& Peck, 2001; Little, 2008). To emphasize, Trust (2004) has discovered that the use of Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS) by teachers in 373 secondary departments between 2000 and 2003 is low to moderate. Niederhauser and Stoddart (1995) noted that some inhibitions that teachers had experienced in using technology in their education were that they were not being comfortable in using new technology and they did not recognize how computer-based technology can help them to provide a meaningful learning opportunity and active engagements for their students in classroom activities.

The importance of teachers‟ attitude and behavior in the technology integration process has been emphasized by several researchers. This is due to the teachers‟

beliefs and perceptions which influence their teaching practice and opening opportunity for the betterment of student learning in the classroom (Cuban,

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Kirkpatrick, & Peck, 2001). The key role of teachers in this process is highly significant that NCTM (2000) has declared that effective mathematics education heavily depends upon teachers as they are one of the six main factors that can integrate the new technology successfully in the classroom. In another study, Preiner (2008) argues that new technology and learning the technicalities is indeed a challenge for many instructors, particularly for those who do not have any experience; moreover exposed to the innovation. Meanwhile, there are a few obstacles which stifle teachers from fully utilizing new technology in their teaching mathematics practices in their classrooms. Some obstacles include the lack of accessibility to computers, the internet, and software, basic technical skills, and inadequate pedagogical knowledge (Lawless

& Pellegrino, 2007; Mousley, Lambdin, & Koc, 2003).

In order to support teachers to overcome with these issues, mastering the basic computer skills of using software and being confident in integrating computers in teaching mathematics are mentioned as the fundamental step for effective technology incorporation (Preiner, 2008). Therefore, the awareness of teachers‟ perception of GeoGebra‟s valuable assistance to the teaching of mathematics and the level of their current competencies to use it can be the first measure which should be taken to facilitate the technology integration.

1.2. PROBLEM STATEMENT

Other than the advantages of the DMS GeoGebra as a useful device that can provide a great opportunity of visualization, manipulation, and exploration of geometrical figures and mathematical concepts, the process of its integration to mathematics teaching and learning is still very slow (Preiner, 2008). To reiterate, although many

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research studies have indicated the usefulness of DMS and the willingness of teachers to use dynamic software, the actual use of DMS is far less than expected.

This is due to many obstacles as reported by several researchers; for example, curriculum scope and the accessibility of computers and programs (Little, 2008), lack of teachers‟ computer knowledge (Mainali & Key, 2012), limitation of time and lack of resources in schools (Windschitl & Sahl, 2002), and teachers' attitudes and beliefs (Teo, 2008).

However, among the barriers to the use of technology in classrooms, teachers‟

contributions are significant and crucial in addressing this problem (Lagrange, 2008).

The teachers‟ choice of either accepting or rejecting the innovations is considerably influenced by their beliefs (Cuban et al., 2001). Stols and Kriek (2011) suggest that a thorough understanding of teachers‟ beliefs and perceptions about the factors that influence their decision to whether familiarize and apply technology or not is needed.

Since disregarding the beliefs of teachers may lead to emerging problems (Stols &

Kriek, 2011), it appears that discovering their perception of using dynamic mathematical software is necessary.

In the country of Malaysia, using an open source program such as GeoGebra in mathematics education in schools is still relatively new (Bakar, Ayub, Luan, &

Tarmizi, 2010); and there is a dearth of research in examining the Malaysian teachers‟

perception of using this program in their teaching of mathematics in their classrooms (Hutkemri & Nordin, 2011). Therefore, based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as one of the various models that predicts the acceptance or rejection of an innovation by users, this study focused on Malaysian teachers‟ intentions and perceptions to the use GeoGebra in the teaching of mathematics in terms of its usefulness and ease of use, and their perceived current competencies. Although TAM

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suggests only perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, as main factors that affect the intention to use of innovation, this study extended TAM by adding perceived current competencies as another independent variable to evaluate teachers‟

intention to use GeoGebra in the teaching of the mathematics.

1.3. PURPOSE OF STUDY

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between teachers‟

perception of GeoGebra‟s usefulness and ease of use, their current competencies and intention to use GeoGebra in the teaching of mathematics in their classes in Malaysia.

The second purpose was to determine the prediction and contribution of each variable namely, teachers‟ Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEU), and Perceived Current Competencies (PCC) in Intention to Use (IU) GeoGebra in the teaching of mathematics. Lastly, this study aimed to evaluate the differences between female and male teachers and also between users and non-users of GeoGebra in their perception under three factors of PU, PEU, PCC, and intention to use it in the teaching of mathematics in the classrooms.

1.4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To find out the Malaysian mathematics teachers‟ intention to use of GeoGebra, this study addressed the following questions:

1- Are there any statistically significant differences between male and female teachers in terms of their:

a. Intention to use GeoGebra in Mathematics teaching?

b. Perceptions of GeoGebra‟s usefulness and ease of use? And

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c. Perceived current competencies to use GeoGebra in Mathematics teaching?

2- Are there any statistically significant differences between users and non- users in terms of their:

a. Intention to use GeoGebra in Mathematics teaching?

b. Perceptions of GeoGebra‟s usefulness and ease of use? And

c. Perceived current competencies to use GeoGebra in Mathematics teaching?

3- To what extent does a teacher's intention to use Geogebra in the teaching of mathematics relate to:

a. perceived usefulness, b. perceived ease of use, and c. perceived current competency?

4- To what extent do perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived current competencies explain the variation in the intention to use Geogebra in the teaching of mathematics?

1.5. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

As computer-based technology becomes more ubiquitous in daily lifestyles, many researchers have attempted to identify the factors which influence technology integration into various areas (Legris, Ingham, & Collerette, 2003). Consequently, several theories and models were introduced, developed, and tested to assist the prediction of technology acceptance (Legris et al., 2003). Among these theories, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been known as a popular and parsimonious frequently used means in acceptance of new technology. This model

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was proposed by Davis in 1989 (Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989), which was originated from the Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) which claimed that the intention to utilize a new technology device was impressed by the beliefs and perceptions of users. According to TAM, perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU) are two major variables and central determinants of user acceptance. This model theorizes that the actual use of technology is influenced by behavioral intention, and in turn the behavioral intention is influenced by user‟s attitude and perception towards the new innovation (Teo, Wong, & Chai, 2008). The TAM is illustrated in Figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1. Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989)

In 2004, Davis and Venkatesh (2004) proposed TAM2, where attitude towards use was replaced by other variables like subjective norms and external factors, but the main variables, which are perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, were retained (Davis & Venkatesh, 2004). Although the more frequent use of TAM is running in business and commercial fields, there are handfuls of researches that have been conducted in education area. For instance, Teo et al. (2008) compared the intention to use of dynamic geometry software in teaching mathematics between

Perceived Useulness

Perceived Ease of use

Attitude toward use

Intention to use External

Factors

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Singaporean and Malaysian pre-service teachers based on Technology Acceptance Model and found it appropriate for their research model.

In another research, the aforementioned was applied to assess teachers‟ attitude towards the use of mathematics software in India. In that particular study, Nair and Das (2012) reported TAM as a vigorous model that could be successfully utilized in the context of education and also a good fitting for the suggested model for the data was set up.

There are some other studies that have extended or revised TAM in accordance with the context of their research and the type of new technology. For instance, Stols and Kriek (2011) examined the effects of mathematics teachers‟ belief on their intention of using DGS in classrooms by applying TAM along with the Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) as well as the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). In this study, aside from the teachers‟ attitudes of usefulness and ease of use, the subjective norms and behavioral control were examined as determinant subjects that influence teachers‟ intention and their actual usage of DGS in classrooms. In this study, the researchers reported teachers‟level of technological abilities and their opinions about the usefulness of the software as the key predictors of their intention and real use of dynamic geometry software in their classrooms (Stols & Kriek, 2011).

1.6. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

To investigate the teachers‟ intention to use GeoGebra in the teaching of mathematics, this study used an Extended Technology Acceptance Model (E-TAM) with the inclusion of Perceived Current Competencies (PCC). As mentioned earlier, the original TAM proposes two independent variables, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use as the main factors that impact on the teachers‟ plans on using a

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new technology in their lessons.However, several studies in the context of this study reported the lack of competencies, in terms of both technical and pedagogical knowledge, as another perceived influential factor identified by teachers (Agyei &

Voogt, 2011; Mainali & Key, 2012). Agyei and Voogt (2011) also report the lack of training opportunities for ICT integration knowledge acquisition which hinders teachers from applying the technology integration into their teachings. Therefore, based on the extended model of this study, in addition to teachers‟ perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, teachers‟ perceived current competencies, as an additional predictor, was examined. Moreover, the difference between teachers in terms of gender and prior usage of GeoGebra was also taken into consideration. The conceptual framework of this study is illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 1.2. Conceptual Framework of Study: An Extended Technology Acceptance Model

1.7. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

Considering the fundamental role of teachers in the technology integration process, the focus of this study was examining the teachers‟ perception of using GeoGebra in

Perceived Usefulness

Perceived Ease of Use

Perceived current competencies

Intention to use

Gender GeoGebra

Usage

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the teaching of mathematics. Therefore, the outcomes and implications of this study can determine if mathematics teachers should be encouraged in to utilize the program to improve their computer proficiency as an effective factor to have confidence and autonomy in using computerized instructional tools. Furthermore, the findings of this study would assist policy makers, especially the Ministry of Education of Malaysia (MOEM), to regard GeoGebra as a professional development program for different levels for both pre-service and in-service teachers in Malaysia, as there are a considerable number of teachers who are IT illiterate on such instructive software.

1.8. LIMITATIONS

The major aim of this study was to assess how teachers‟ beliefs and perception about using GeoGebra in the teaching mathematics relates to their intention to use the software in the classrooms. Thus, the sample examined for this study was limited to the teachers who had already participated in GeoGebra workshops and were familiar with its features and potentials. For this study particularly, the sample consisted of teachers who had already participated in GeoGebra workshops at the GeoGebra Institute of Malaysia on the expense of their own interest, not through mandatory in- services training courses. To compare, in relation to mandatory and voluntary participation in a new innovation workshops, it truly influences teachers‟ perception towards use of new technology as a whole (Legris et al., 2003), the results of this study shall not be generalized to other groups and categories. Therefore, identical researches are recommended to be conducted among teachers who have taken part in GeoGebra workshops provided by the Ministry of Education or other state organizations.

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A second limitation is the number of items in the instrument that was used in this study. Intention to use GeoGebra was the dependent variable in this study, which was measured by two (2) items adapted from Davis (1989) and Pittalis and Christou (2011). Although the validity and reliability of these TAM items were confirmed several times in previous studies, from a psychological perspective, these two items for this construct may prove to be inadequate and additional items may be suggested for future research.

1.9. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS

Dynamic Mathematics Software (DMS) GeoGebra: GeoGebra, as a dynamic software, is a free download program from the Internet and is designed to merge certain characteristics of dynamic geometry software, computer algebra systems, and even spreadsheets into a single package (Preiner, 2008). GeoGebra has a great capacity to create a discovery and experimentation environment in the classrooms and its distinct features of visualization can establish a creative atmosphere among students and encourage them to produce new ideas and conjectures and strengthen their ability of reasoning thinking (Lavicza, 2007).

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM): A model, which was developed by Davis (1989) was originally in the area of information technology systems, services, and devices, is a popular and widely used model. TAM suggests that there are two main specific beliefs that can predict the acceptance of an innovation or new technology device by users. According to the Technology Acceptance Model, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are two initial factors that determine the acceptance or rejection behavior of user to a new technology device.

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Perceived Usefulness (PU): In this model, Davis (1989) defined perceived usefulness as “the degree to which a person believes that using a particular technology will enhance his or her job performance”. In another definition, this factor has been referred to as the user‟s perception regarding to the outcome of utilizing an innovation (Bugembe, 2010). For the purpose of this study, perceived usefulness is an independent variable that predicts the extent to which a teacher believes that using GeoGebra, as a mathematics teaching tool, will enhance his or her performance in improving students‟ learning.

Perceived Ease of Use (PEU): Perceived ease of use is described as the technology user‟s perception towards the simplicity of using and learning how to use the innovation (Venkatesh, 2000). For this study, perceived ease of use is defined as the teacher‟s perception of the amount of effort required to utilize GeoGebra in the teaching of mathematics in the classrooms. In other words, this factor is an independent variable that predicts the extent to which an instructor perceives that using GeoGebra in teaching mathematics in the classroom is simple and effortless.

Perceived Current Competencies (PCC): Perceived current competency in this study is an independent variable that anticipates the extent to which a teacher feels that it is necessity to have the actual proficiency to utilize GeoGebra in the teaching of mathematics in the classrooms. This determines the choice of further training and future professional development programs.

Competencies: In the context of this study, competency refers to a set of conscious, trainable skills, abilities, and knowledge which makes a teacher ready to effectively use GeoGebra in teaching mathematics in the classroom.

Rujukan

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In this study, the behavioural belief factors such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived security, and trust is examined to identify their

The main researches objective in this study is to determine the relationship between perceived security, perceived trust, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and

The relationship between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, personal innovativeness in Informational Technology, and personal enjoyment relating to

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is one of the much referred models for technology acceptance where perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are recognised as

This study only focuses on the factors influencing intention to use mobile payment using code based on TAM model which are perceived usefulness and perceived ease of

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework was used as variable factors which were perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived risk and trust, to measure factors

Three predictors which were perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and behavioral intention were used to measure the acceptance factors contributing to mobile application