South African Undergraduate Engineering Students' Understanding of Complex Numbers

Ramaila, Sam; Seloane, Philemon

doi:10.21125/iceri.2018.0243

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

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“…Oscal, 2017;Poon, 2018;Shadaan & Eu, 2013Supriadi et al, 2014Zulnaidi & Zamri, 2016). Panaoura et al, 2006;Ramaila and Seloane, 2018), students' conceptual and procedural knowledge misconceptions from both groups continued to be prevalent post interventions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Despite the centrality of complex numbers to post-school mathematics-dependent topics in engineering physics courses (Smith et al, 2019), mechanical vector analysis (Bird, 2017) and electric-circuit theory (Bird, 2017;Norlander & Norlander, 2012), students at these educational levels continue to display conceptual and procedural difficulties associated with complex numbers (Ahmad & Shahrill, 2012;Conner et al, 2007;Norlander & Norlander, 2012;Panaoura et al, 2006;Ramaila & Seloane, 2018;Smith et al, 2015Smith et al, , 2019. Ahmad and Shahrill (2012) observed, for example, that most students have difficulty comprehending −a as − × 1 a , that is, − = a j a , with = −1 j .…”

Section: Research Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In view of these findings, Norlander and Norlander (2012) recommended an innovative visual approach to teaching complex numbers. Ramaila and Seloane (2018) showed that only 33% (23 out of 70) of undergraduate engineering mathematics students at a South African university could correctly identify, convert, and simplify an expression containing multiple forms of representations, like − − + − 2 1 4 3 1 j e j, and leave their answers in rectangular form. Furthermore, Ramaila and Seloane found that students needed help to navigate between different forms of complex number representation.…”

Section: Research On the Teaching Of Complex Numbersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Developing undergraduate engineering mathematics students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge of complex numbers using GeoGebra

Seloane,

Ramaila,

Ndlovu

2023

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This study explored the utilisation of GeoGebra as a modelling tool to develop undergraduate engineering mathematics students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge of complex numbers. This mission was accomplished by implementing GeoGebra-enriched activities, which provided carefully designed representational support to mediate between students’ initially developed conceptual and procedural knowledge gains. The rectangular and polar forms of the complex number were connected and merged using GeoGebra’s computer algebra systems and dynamic geometric systems platforms. Despite the centrality of complex numbers to the undergraduate mathematics curriculum, students tend to experience conceptual and procedural obstacles in mathematics-dependent physics engineering topics such as mechanical vector analysis and electric-circuit theory. The study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed methods design and involved purposively selected first-year engineering mathematics students at a South African university. The constructivist approach and Realistic Mathematical Education underpinned the empirical investigation. Data were collected from students’ scripts. Implementing GeoGebra-enriched activities and providing carefully designed representational support sought to enhance students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge of complex numbers and problem representational competence. The intervention additionally helped students to conceptualise and visualise a complex rectangular number. Implications for technology-enhanced pedagogy are discussed.Contribution: The article provides exploratory insights into the development of undergraduate engineering mathematics students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge of complex numbers using GeoGebra as a dynamic digital tool. Key findings from the study demonstrated that GeoGebra appears to be an effective modelling tool that can be harnessed to demystify the complexity of mathematics students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge of complex numbers.

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