The Examining Effect of Gender Factor on Learning Mathematical Concepts via Instructional Software

Multimedia electronic instructional environments are widely recognized to hold great potential for improving the way that students learn. In these instructional environments, learners are exposed to material in verbal and pictorial forms. Then in present era, instruction in particular teaching mathematics can use for students. In this study, it is used of Geo Gebra software and its effects are studied for students and in particular among the performances of girl and boys. The effects of this software are studied on 54 girl and students. The results of Leven and T-tests are indicated that the use of software and electronic context has positive efficiency on learning mathematical concepts for students. In addition, it is proved that the use of software and electronic context in mathematics education has positive efficiency for boy students rather girl students. Therefore it seems that electronic contents or software can be as tutor for these students and help them in mathematics education.


Introduction
Innovation and construction is for easing affairs that can make improvement and development of results.Various instruments are designed with this aim and also for students-centered procedure and involving in different steps in mathematics education.Mathematical software and dynamic geometry with one hundred users throughout globe and with various languages such as French, Russia, Spanish, China and so on, have provided fantastic and significant mathematics and geometry laboratories for students and teachers in learning and teaching process that can make to develop in the quality of learning and teaching mathematics widely.The observation, comparison and study of different figures of a problem and indicating logic guesses will help the students in learning process and problem solving considerably such as the weak of textbooks and lack of consideration to activities, for instance, examine and manipulate to problems after solving it, make to include the activities relate to fourth step of problem solving model of Polya (1995) that is, popularization and problem schema [4].The appearance of dynamic geometry software was new step for using computer in mathematics education and geometry.This software has created new space in teaching and helps the students and teachers for instruction and learning geometry.Through using these instruments, it provides situation that states concepts dynamically and created better perception for students.Then the conditions of improvement of exact and tentative dimension will be more obvious for teaching geometry so that student can observe and experience various styles simply.For example, student can draw bisectors of one triangle ISPACS GmbH 2 and examine its other features in various triangles.Also using this software was considered in teaching analytic geometry, conic sections or three dimensions geometry because the perception of figures which draw is very difficult traditionally.For instance, dynamic geometry software can provide this possibility till created different sections on conic surface and observed its different dimensions in three dimensions.Software spaces can create better perception of concepts also can indicate theorems and geometric concepts dynamically.For example, in this theorem; the distance of ever point on perpendicular is one scale from two heads of line segment.Using current instruments can show this theorem with drawing one line segment and one point on perpendicular only and prove it.In dynamic space, it can observe its accuracy for all points via moving point on perpendicular.This instructional procedure makes to attract the student and be success in learning geometry firstly and then provide the field for better perception of deductive prove [5].The public possibilities of this software are the capacities and various possibilities for drawing and manipulating figures of plane and solid geometry.User can draw figures such as triangles, cycles, multi-sides and dimensions and segments such as diameters, perpendiculars and bisectors and also have the kinds of manipulates such as signing angles, sides, adding line and point, computing and examining features such as parallel and so on.The other public capacity of this software is the click-drag that is can convert one point or other segment to other forms via mouse (click-drag).In activities that student applies software, he/she can create main changes in respect figure via drag and creates various figures for one problem while one figure draws to one problem in traditional geometry only and as it is cited, the use of one figure for teaching and problem solving can led to retail-view [5].Instruction base on computer has three main parts.First part is teaching via computer.In this part, computer as tutor, practice new content and the method of work is the base on practice, question and response.Second part, learning is the base on computer and methods such as sampling, instructional games, problem solving and information process.Third part, computer is general instrument that have respect programs [3].The aim of researchers in this study is whether consideration to use of computer and mathematics education software can effect on decreasing current problems to enhance the path of mathematics education in particular among the performances of girl and boy students.

THE DESIGN OF ELECTRONIC CONTEXT __ THE INTRODUCTION AND PPLICATION OF GEO GEBRA SOFTWARE
For having simple interface between user and respect implemented projects via Geo Gebra software, it is used of "multi-media builder" software and all necessary instruments such as film of voice text in other software such as "Camtasia" software is product and integrated in "multi-media builder" software and built the applied software for special mathematics education in this study finally.For opening textbook, it is used of Pdf file of textbook and other link for opening it from same software that is considered.Here we consider to some its sections for the introduction of the possibilities of this software; Geo Gebra software.One of the possibilities of this electronic context was the design of simple functions that appear one dynamic clip under Geo Gebra for students that can change and observe coefficients, powers and constants via the changes in sliders; a, b, c, n, m.Also it can get to suitable results thereby moving one point on diagram.In other menu for drawing exponential functions, it is opened other dynamic clip that is same Fig. 1, Fig. 2.Here it will get to the instruction of drawing exponential functions, its changes and intervals.In third menu that is, circular trigonometric, two clips appear to the instruction of circular trigonometric dynamically that it is indicated in Fig. 3.In Fig. 3, in addition of the introduction of circular trigonometric and axis, it is introduced positive and negative angles and accord to this Fig. 3,  angle (right side) begins to move in positive direction.Similarity in left window (Fig. 3)  angle (left side) begins to move in negative direction.Draw trigonometric functions and its dynamic changes are the other possibilities of this software (see Fig. 4).

LITERATURE REVIEW
There are several researches in the field of mathematics and geometry software.It tries in this part till we stated samples of researches in cited field regard to present study, Cumali Oksüz et al ( 2009) in research entitled "Designing multimedia video-cases to improve mathematics teaching with technology: technology integration into mathematics education" have considered to the design of integration of technology in mathematics education and in addition to emphasize on integrating this design in mathematics education, they have concluded that pre-service teachers have more higher potential in integrating technology design in mathematics education rather pro-service teachers [1].In other research that M. Santos-Trigo & H. Espinosa-Pérez (2010) is implemented in paper entitled "High School Teachers' use of dynamic software to generate serendipitous mathematical relations" is considered to the use of dynamic software via teachers for creating serendipitous mathematical relations and the effects of this software has positive results [2].Other research is performed in (2007) with title "Instruction of role of dynamic geometry software in geometry problem solving with emphasis on guessing" via Farmehr and Riyhani [6].It is indicated that have emphasized on affective and important role of dynamic geometry software and its effective results.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Hypothesis I) The use of software and electronic context has positive efficiency on learning mathematical concepts for students.Hypothesis II) The use of software and electronic context in mathematics education has positive efficiency for boy students rather girl students.

RESEARCH METHODOLGY
In present research, it is used of quasi-experimental method.For unsuitable real experimental method for studying human in real situations, it uses of quasi-experimental method.This research method is good for the measurement of behavioral and social variables.Quasi-experimental method is similar to quality and quantity experiments.Usually this method applied when there are not controlling on all cited variables in study.In this method, researcher tries that self-research nears to real experimental method via information of limitations.Since it can select random groups through this method only then we have selected groups as control and experiment groups randomly for respect research.Also we have studied independent variable in experiment group.

PARTICIPANTS
In present study, statistical society was girl and boy students in empirical strand at second grade of high school at Shar-e Kord city that is 225 girls and 139 boys and 364 students generally.Through semi cluster sampling, it has been four groups randomly.Since this research needs same groups of two sexes that able to use of one group as control and other group as experiment group then it was needed to select of two groups of girls and boys for analysis.

INSTRUMENTATIONS
Two instruments are used in this study; math exam and Geo Gebra software.Math exam is implemented in two parts; pretest and posttests.Pretest was included of 10 questions of one of the taught contents in math textbook with 20 scores.After examining in both groups, posttests are performed with 10 questions (with "difficult" level) and with 20 scores.Content reliability of pre and posttests are studied under opinions of mathematics professors and its validity has emphasized through Split-half test with 0.91.Geo Gebra is mathematical software dynamically that relates Algebra, calculus and geometry altogether and for learning and teaching mathematics has designed and implemented via M.Hohenwarter et al (2000).This software has provided almost universal cover on Algebra, calculus and geometry contents.In this software, program of drawing geometrical figures, entrance space of mathematics commands and Algebra information part are considered.The look of this software is very fantastic and provides all possibilities for analectic and graphic studies.This software is emphasized under opinions of teachers of mathematics.

DATA COLLECTING METHOD
In this research, pretests are implemented in same conditions after determining control and experiment groups.Then trigonometry chapter is taught via researchers through active and traditional instruction methods in control groups of boy and girl students and all figures have draw via chalk and blackboard.For computer projects and its instruction for experiment group of girl and boy students, it is used of laboratory that has video projector and net support program.Posttests are performed in same conditions for both groups.Then results have analyzed.

DATA ANALAYSIS
For data analysis and testing research hypothesis, descriptive and deductive statistics are used.Mean and Std have applied in descriptive statistic part and in parametric tests; Leven and independent samples tests have used in meaningful level of 0.05 for deductive statistic.

FINDINGS
In descriptive statistic for pretests and posttests of Table .1, it is observed that there are not significant differences between means of pretests for boy and girl groups.It observes that mean of experiment group's posttests is more than control group.In addition, it clears that mean of girl group's posttest is more than boy group's posttest.Also the highest std value relates to pretests.In Fig. 5, diagram of means has emphasized the accuracy of cited results.For selection of suitable hypothesis, it is used of one-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for study of normality of data in 0.05 levels.Results of this test indicated that pre and posttest's data was normal (P>0.05).Therefore we can use of parametric tests; Leven and independent samples tests.

Fig.5. The comparison of girl and boy students' means in control and experiment groups
For studying pretests of respect groups in Table .2,it is used of Leven test for variances.Results of this test indicated that variances are equal (P>0.05) for pretests.The results of posttests' Leven test indicated that variances are equal (P>0.05)also.In addition it clears that pretests are same (P>0.05).Findings of independent samples test for posttests indicated that there are significant differences between means of posttests (P<0.05)(see Table .3)that is since Therefore posttest of control group's mean was less than posttest of experiment group's mean.Then the use of software and electronic context has positive efficiency on learning mathematical concepts for students.For testing second hypothesis, we consider to the comparison of pretests between control and experiment groups of girl and boy students binary.In Table .4,results of Leven test indicated that variances are equal (P>0.05).In addition, the findings of independent samples tests shown that there are not significant differences between means of pretests (P>0.05).Also results of Leven test in Table .5indicated that variances are equal (P>0.05) for posttest.The results of independent samples for posttest of girl and boy students indicated that there are significant differences (P<0.05) that is since

Table.2. The results of Leven and independent samples tests for pretests
. Therefore posttest of boy experiment group's mean is less than posttest of girl experiment group's mean.Therefore use of software and electronic context in mathematics education has not positive efficiency for boy students rather girl students.

CONCLUSION and DISCUSSION
Instruction through computer is known as one of the main content of curriculum in many global countries and vast investments implement for various filed of its design, implementation and evaluation.One of the best features via computer is called as the possibility of information process, fast response, changing, group learning and provide the thinking fields that have studied under opinions of theorists.Instruction via computer has been considered in recent years regard to constructivists.Base of instruction is for open opportunities for learners in knowledge construction so that learners can create new thinking in individual and group circumferences.In constructive procedure, the computer is used as collecting and organizing instrument and observes whatever learners have taught.In this part, learner corrects and updates self-information via new information learning process as active searcher.The study of result indicated that there are significant differences between control and experiment groups of girl and boy students.Its reasons are such as; 1) using computer includes of various possibilities of hard ware, 2) various special software of mathematics education, 3) providing syllables via computer, and 4) provide electronic context for mathematics instruction.These factors ease the learning of mathematical concepts for students.In addition it is observed that use of software and electronic context in mathematics education has not positive efficiency for boy students rather girl students.The use of software and electronic context in mathematics education has positive efficiency for girl students.Since girls was weak in the creation of concept mappings and forming mental structures and guessing for mathematical problem rather boy students and since this procedure help this subject then its feedback was better among girl students.Also the interest of girl students to modern technologies may be other reason for attracting them.It suggests that implemented instructional courses for teachers before using instructional software and this research must implement for other textbooks and grades.There are limitations in this research such as; 1) teaching in girly schools was not possible for researchers then this study is performed out of school, and 2) possibility of instruction for all mathematics subjects and geometry was not possible via Geo Gebra.

Table . 1
. Descriptive statistic of pre and posttest of control and experiment groups

Table . 3
. The results of Leven and independent samples tests for posttests

Table . 4
. Leven and independent samples tests for pretests between boy and girl students

Table . 5
. Leven and independent samples tests for posttests between boy and girl students