Use of Maple Software to Reduce Student Teachers’ Errors in Differential Calculus

Abstract:

The study was conducted on the use of Maple software to reduce student teachers’ errors in Differential Calculus at Evangelical Presbyterian College of Education, Volta Region - Ghana. The research design for the study was quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design. Convenience and simple random sampling techniques were employed to obtain a sample of 104 student teachers, which comprised 53 student teachers in the control group and 51 in the experimental group. Test items were the instruments used for data gathering. Descriptive, paired samples t-test and independent samples t-test were used in analyzing data. Descriptive content error analysis revealed that student teachers committed many conceptual, procedural and technical errors when solving tasks in the differential calculus. The results also indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between student teachers’ of the experimental group exposed to the use of Maple software in learning differential calculus to control groups exposed to traditional methods. Consequently, it was recommended that Maple assisted instruction be incorporated in the teaching and learning of differential calculus in the school; and also there is the need for the mathematics teachers in the school to employ blended teaching approaches, in which Maple software are used simultaneously to enhance teaching of mathematics concepts.