Effectiveness of Mathematical Modeling in a Technological Environment and Its Impact on Developing Motivation toward Learning Mathematics among Students in Middle Schools in Israel

Abstract

The study aims to identify the effectiveness of mathematical modeling in a technological environment, and its effect on the development of middle school learners' critical thinking skills and motivation rising toward mathematics as a subject in Rahat area/ Negev region. In this study, the researcher employed the experimental approach where the two tools of the study were applied to two groups of eighth graders: (group A, control group, 29 learners) and (group B, test group, 30 learners). The tools employed were, first, measuring learners’ motivations towards learning, and second, measuring the degree to which learners possess the skills of critical thinking. The tools were used in both the prior and the latter stages of mathematical modeling where a questionnaire was prepared with the aim of identifying the views of students in the middle schools about their motivation to learn mathematics, and the questionnaire included the three dimensions of the study. The second tool consists of a set of questions that measure the degree to which the student has critical thinking skills by answering the test questions (consisting of a set of questions selected to test students in critical thinking skills in solving mathematical problems). The two instruments were initially presented to a group of competent arbitrators in order to benefit from their expertise, and after presenting them and making the necessary adjustments, they were produced in their final form. The results were as follows: 1. The scale of the student’s desire towards learning mathematics, and their sense of perseverance and awareness were all intermediate. 2. Learners’ average in the prior test that was designed to measure their skills in critical thinking was low. 3. The study shows variations in the degree of motivation toward mathematics learning regarding their desire and awareness of the importance of the subject. 4. The study shows a variation in the degree of the possession of critical thinking skills in middle school learners. The variation was in favor of the test group.