Examination of Perceptions of University Students on Non-Euclidean Geometries and Reflections from Designed Learning Environments

• Main Author: Timur KOPARAN
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bülent Ecevit University 2019-04-01
• Series: Yükseköğretim ve Bilim Dergisi
• Subjects: Geometry teaching; Non-Euclidean geometries; Prospective teachers; Learning environment
• Online Access: http://higheredu-sci.beun.edu.tr/pdf.php3?id=1874

The aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of university students towards non-Euclidean geometries and to investigate the effectiveness of the learning environment created for the teaching of non-Euclidean geometries. For this purpose, a data collection tool has been developed within the framework of two expert opinions. Research data were collected observations and through a data collection tool consisting of 18 open-ended questions on Euclidean geometry, elliptic geometry, and hyperbolic geometry. In the first phase of the study, information about the non-Euclidean geometries of university students was collected through data collection tool. The students are 66 senior students in 10 different departments (37 females and 29 males). The data obtained were analyzed and it was seen that university students generally did not have any information about this subject or they had incorrect information. In the first stage, it is aimed to get information about the ways of thinking about the questions of university students and what kind of teaching materials should be used. In the second phase, a three-week program for teaching non-Euclidean geometries was applied to a total of 42 (25 females and 17 males) prospective teachers. After the course, the test was re-applied. In order to obtain deeper information, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five prospective teachers. In the findings, it was seen that the prospective teachers could not answer the questions or answer them wrongly before the application and they could answer the questions easily after the application. It was concluded that the learning environment created for teaching non-Euclidean geometries was effective. The findings were supported by pre-test post-test responses of prospective teachers, snapshots from web-supported drawings, use of concrete materials and interview sections. In the light of the findings obtained from the research, it was suggested to give more importance to the non-Euclidean geometries and teaching in the curriculum.