Challenges of integrating GeoGebra in the teaching of mathematics in South African high schools

Abstract

Technology is embraced as an integral part of modern society, and hence it is also important for education to integrate various aspects of technology into teaching and learning. The South African National Development Plan (NDP) also prescribes the inclusion of quality technology to enhance the classroom experiences of both teachers and learners. GeoGebra is one of the preferred mathematics software in South African high schools. This qualitative study explores the challenges of teachers in the integration of GeoGebra in the teaching of mathematics in South African high schools. Using interpretivism as a research paradigm, we listened to and recorded the views of teachers about challenges they experienced in the integration of GeoGebra. The data was elicited from four purposively selected teachers from the Bojanala District in the North West Province of South Africa by using unstructured interviews which were transcribed, coded and categorised into relevant themes. The selected teachers signed the consent forms as part of their willingness to participate voluntarily in the study. The study supports the view that teachers are pivotal factors in the integration of GeoGebra and hence the need to understand their challenges. The key finding revealed was that South African high schools were being robbed and vandalised of ICT equipment because of security issues. Further, each school owned only one data projector which stifles efforts to strengthen teachers‟ knowledge and skills in implementing the integration of GeoGebra into mathematics lessons. Consequently, this loss of equipment disadvantages teachers and learners concerning the integration of GeoGebra into mathematics lessons because learners did not have computers for exploring and experimenting, and teachers are becoming demotivated due to insufficient resources and a lack of modern skills to make mathematics lessons interesting and productive.