The use of derive 5 in improving pre-service teachers' understanding of matrices at MampongTechnical College of Education

Abstract

This study was undertaken to help pre-service teachers to improve their understanding of matrices in the form of systems of linear equations using Drive5 at Mampong Technical College of education in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It specifically sought to find out the impact of the Derive5 (ICT) utility application software on the performance and errors in their computational skills in handling matrices. A convenience sampling technique was used to select 30 second year pre-service teachers of 2E class due to proximity and accessibility for the study. The researcher used an observation, interview, pre-test and post-test techniques to find out the impact of the Derive5 use on the pre-service teachers‟ mathematical and computational skills so far as matrices are involved. The results of the study revealed pre-service teachers‟ errors in computational skills such as error in sequence of multiplication, getting rid of matrix, product of matrices and concept of the use of determinant. The results indicated that there was a difference in pre-test and post-test scores with respect to the means and standard deviations with the latter better in terms of pre-test mean and SD of 3.90 and 2.05 and post-test mean and SD of 6.40 and 2.67. The results of the t-test (29df, t=6.335, and p=0.00) further indicated that the difference in means were significant at p=0.00. This implied that the Derive5 improved pre-service teachers‟ ability to deal with mathematical problems involving matrices and computational skills in mathematics