B_M_1_DC

Using a Drag and Drop Tool Powered by J-query to Analyze Thinking Ideas in
Mathematics
by
AUTHOR DC

ABSTRACT
Teachers often remind their students to be more careful during examination and
explain that their failure was because of their carelessness. Although, much attention
was given by the students and the teachers advice well-taken, students still fare
poorly. This research paper seeks to examine why student repeatedly fail a certain
mathematical idea or question. This paper also employs an innovative mathematic Commented [DL1]: Be specific and refer to your study. This is
too general.
activity that involves a group of Form 4 students to collaborate and cooperate with
each other using a drag and drop tool powered by J-query. This application tool Commented [DL2]: Provide description to this tool. It is as
claimed an innovation and as such readers are in the dark of what it
developed by the researcher can be use online and offline as well as in smart board can do.

and most java enabled mobiles. It is anticipated that in the near future, this tool can
be use between two or more groups of students from different places in real time.
From the results of the activity indicated that students understand better when Commented [DL3]: study/research?

mistakes are pointed out by peers through collaborative efforts. The students test for Commented [DL4]: Could not find in the article where analysis
was perform to arrive at this generalisation.
pre-test and post-test shows significant increase in their test scores by 53.7%.
Students were asked to evaluate this approach of learning and almost all gives two
thumbs up and wishes to have it more frequently. With further development, this tool
can also be used for other STEM subjects.

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Teaching Additional Mathematics to students with only four forty minutes periods
each is a daunting task to teachers. Besides rushing to finish the syllabus, teachers
are directed to conduct 21st century learning pedagogies and most importantly
making sure that all students archive the best results possible. (In my case all As +).
However, to make students engage in a mathematic lesson, a teacher has to be
resourceful and adapt a blending teaching style. It is even more challenging task to Commented [DL5]: Assumption. Please cite source.

make students understand exactly what you want them to perceived.

However, this is not always the case as these students whom we think have
understood the concepts will repeatedly fail the test. The researcher has interview Commented [DL6]: Assumption. Please cite source.

his colleagues whether they have faced similar problems with their students and all
said, Yes. So the primary question is what is it the researcher and his colleagues
have missed? The researcher begins a search to search for a mathematical tool that
may probe deeper into the minds of students rather than blaming on carelessness.
That tool never existed in the market nor was it available in the Internet. Now the Commented [DL7]: This is a very strong statement. The tool is
on probing thinking mind. Rephrase.to suit your study.
researcher are faced with several problems, that is
1. what tool is most suitable to probe into the thinking mind? Commented [DL8]: This is too general. Should be specific to
your study.
2. how to create that application or tool?
3. how can the created application be used to assess the flow of the thinking
mind?
4. how the created application used to promote collaboration and cooperation of
students Commented [DL9]: Again, these statements are too general and
the study did not cover everything in general. Needed to rephrase to
in line with 21st century blended learning pedagogy? David Chng Blended be relevant to study.

learning [8]

2.0 BACKGROUND
Efforts to ensure that Malaysians can keep up with the rapid global development and
to further improved on the TIMSS and PISA achievements; our government has
launched the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013 2025 which will spearhead our
educational level to greater heights. The researcher has singled out two major shifts
which are parallel to the research paper;
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1. First Shift: provide equal access to quality education of an

international standard;
promoting Higher Order Thinking Skills among students.
2. Seventh Shift leverage ICT to scale up quality learning across Malaysia;
encouraging the use of ICT in teaching and learning.
Under this policy, the Malaysian government has gone all-out to ensure the blueprint
be realized by introducing VLE Frog, I-Think and introducing the HEBAT and
KEBAT programmes. [1] Commented [DL10]: It is KBAT
Commented [DL11]: Terms that readers might not be able to
In the search of encouraging mathematics teachers to become better educators, associate with it

graphic calculators, Geometers Sketchpad (GSP) were licensed to all schools and Commented [DL12]: Refer to APA format

seminars about it were conducted frequently a few years back.

The researcher finds that these tools or resources may not meet the researchers
requirement to probe into the thinking mind of the students for mathematics. Commented [DL13]: Assumption. Further readings on these
softwares can be utilised as a tool similar to the study Drag and
3.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT drop task.

A student, who failed a test, may not be due to his or her carelessness. There are
many reasons that happened but the problem is how to pinpoint the reason to the
students failure.
The researcher wish to explore whether failure to get the correct answers in a
particular mathematical idea is because of carelessness and lack of practice, or
perhaps there are other fundamental misconceptions perceived by his students
which needs to address.

4.0 OBJECTIVES
To manage and customized an ICT-Mathematics related activity that promotes
collaboration and constructivism as a classical approach to Malaysian educational
instruction commonly employed in the digital era.
To create a suitable digital tool or application that may probe and study the thinking
flows of the students mind.

5.0 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This action research seeks to answer the following questions:
1. How to create and customized an ICT-Mathematics related activity that may
probe into
the thinking minds of the researchers student to better understand their flow
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of
thoughts and perhaps able to correct certain mathematical misconceptions
perceived by the
students. Commented [DL14]: Your findings didnt mention any
misconceptions. Your questions need to be specific and researchable
2. How to capture a clearer mental-map of the students cognitive flow of and not merely stated here and not mentioned later in results and
discussion sections. Similarly, please rephrase other questions in this
section as well. Also, how does the improvement in posttest
thoughts and thus achievement link to cognitive flow, collaboration, and correcting
misconception to mention a few.
prescribed a more accurate support to the students problem.

6.0 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH

This research will focus on the flow of thoughts in the students mind-map when
trying a certain type of question. Students can collaborate; cooperate with one
another in small groups to develop the correct solution. The drag and drop activity
using J-query enables the students to examine mathematics components or
elements more analytically and prompts the students to drag and drop the
mathematics element collaboratively to make correct mathematical sense.

7.0 FRAMEWORK OF STUDY

In this framework, the researcher takes the facilitators role and thus encourages
students centered activity. Minimal instructions were given, as it is assumed that
most students should already have the skills of manipulating the mathematical
elements through drag and drop which is so common in the android world and some
touch screen enabled laptops.
Students are encouraged to form small group with a leader. The leader will assign
task for each member to perform so no one is left behind doing nothing. The
students will give a report, summarize and conclude their activities and their task will
be judge by other members of other groups. The teaching and learning pedagogy
should be managed in such a way that students learning activities are concrete, real
and relevant to real life issues. Almy, M. (1975) [2] & Biber, B. (1984) [3]. Commented [DL15]: Format

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Herrington and Standen [4] consider that many multimedia educational packages are Commented [DL16]: Format

not truly interactive. They tend to present ideas or learning materials which are rigid
and few in options, thus putting the learner in passive mode. A true mathematic
educational tool will encourage the learner to participate actively in the learning
process and to use higher order thinking skills (HOTS). An example of such
application that can do just that is the drag and drop tools using J-query. Commented [DL17]: Assumption.

8.0 EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES

The lesson cum activity entitled, Analyzing students cognitive flow using drag and
drop J-query was conducted on twenty six form Four students after the mid-year Commented [DL18]: How does the cognitive component link to
arrangement of sequences of steps in answering a task. You need a
semester examination last academic year. These groups of students many of whom theory to link up the various variables involved in your study.

have failed a certain type of mathematic questions were asked to sit for a pretest. Commented [DL19]: You need to elaborate on the type of
failure involved so as reader could understand the link between the
This is followed by the drag and drop J-query activity which involves some surveys types of failure and your investigation. It is to general...for example
are you referring to the concept; the cognitive component involved
or the procedure?
using goggles form. The students answers were analyzed and discussed the
following day. A post-test with similar questions to the pretest was again given to see
the effects. The students were not told before the activity, thus they were neutral to
the research conducted. The expected learning results include:
8.1 Communication and cooperation
Students will work together in groups of five or six to solve five specially
developed
activities using separating the mathematic elements and dragging and
dropping (arranging)
them into correct mathematical structures.
Students will collaborate by comparing their views with members of the same
group using
traditional methods of calculating using pen and paper while others are
collaborating using
the browsers.

8.2 Reasoning and Analysis

Students will have to reason and analyze the sequence or arrangements with
one another
as there are purposeful distractors elements inside the task.
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8.3 Measurement and manipulations

Students will use various strategies to complete the five given tasks which
include
browsers, drag-and drop tools, paper, pen or pencils and a pen-drive to save
their work for
presentation.

8.4 Mathematical computational skills

Students will be using their mathematical knowledge on how to solve a
particular question.
Students are encourage to browse through the Internet for extra guidance (if
Internet is
available) or uses the school text and reference books (if working off-line)

8.5 ICT skills

Students will be able to drag and drop to arrange the various mathematical
components to
make a logical sequence of mathematical structures. They are also able to
print screen,
adjust the playing fields of the browser and to save the tasks in the respective
folders in pen
drive and to present their findings using PowerPoint.

9.0 METHOD AND PROCEDURE

9.1 In a nutshell
The teacher prepares a pretest based on the performance of the students previous
examination marks. The type of topics chosen was based on item analysis obtained
after the examination. The students marks from the pretest were recorded but the
questions were not discussed and the questions paper of the pretest was not given
back. Within the same week, five activities which in cooperates the drag and drop
tool were administered in a double periods (80 minutes) session. A separated period
was needed to explain the results and open for discussions. Certain students were
asked to see the researcher for further consultation. During the weekend, the
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students were asked to complete a survey about the drag and drop activity using
goggle form. A post-test with similar questions was then given a week or two later
and marks recorded. The results were than shown to the students for discussion. Commented [DL20]: then

9.2 The drag and drop activities

The researcher created 5 different drag and drop activities using J-query based on
the marks obtained and item analysis findings. The drag and drop activities include a
concept map which the students have to arrange in order just like a jigsaw puzzle,
except that it allows the students creativity in the arrangement.
Each activity will take roughly 15 minutes (which include print screen and saving the
files). The students were already arranged in groups of five or six before entering the
classroom and the researcher only takes a minute of two to explain what the
students should do. The rest of the instructions were written on the white board.
The students are to select a leader and the leader will assign specific tasks for each
of the members in the group. The members will assist the leader to drag and drop
the mathematical elements to form understandable mathematical equations and
statements. Each activity a new leader will be chosen so at the end of the five
activities all students get to become a leader once.
The students are to discuss and collaborate together in their thinking what is the best
mathematical paths or mathematical statements to formulate. Students will not only
have to arrange a correct solution to the question, they need also to know among the
many mathematical elements which are essentials, redundancies and distractors.
Students are allowed to seek the help of other members from different groups;
should the need arise.

9.3 Filling in the goggle form

At the end of the activity the students are given a link to the goggle form to evaluate
what they think about the drag and drop activity. Their opinions will be used to
improve on the drag and drop activity. [Refer to the sample of the from 1]
From the response that they have given, a spreadsheet is created which will then
evaluate their statistical analytics.
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10.0 RESEARCH FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS

The researcher finds that the students are very engaged in the activities; some group
took more than 80 minutes to complete all the five tasks, not because they were slow
but because there were much discussion through peer coaching among the
members in the group. There are groups that wanted to arrange the mathematical
elements nicely and there is a group that could not get the consensus of everybody
and thus there were much discussions and arguing (in a good way) for most of the
activities. Below are the results of the pretest and the post-test of the 26 students in
the researchers class.

From the results based on the pretest and post-test conducted on the twenty six Commented [DL21]: Standardised the number of significant
figures in the stated GPA increased
students two distinct indicators are noted. The number of students obtaining As

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increases and the number of students who failed in the pretest decreased by 89%
and the grade point average has improved by 2.23 points (from 4.15 to 1.92).
Although there is a clear indication the drag and drop activity managed to improve
the overall students performance through collaborative efforts and peer coaching, Commented [DL22]: Although there are improvement but many
factors can be linked to it. If it is as claimed it is due to collaboration
the researcher still would like to venture deeper and conduct more of these activities and peer coaching...how do you prove it? Any measured indications
to sustain it?
on other students soon.
The researcher also admits that planning and creating such an activity takes time
and has spent hours of careful planning but looking at the how engaged and
motivated the students during the activities makes the efforts worthwhile.
In this activity which focuses on learning by doing (inquiry methods) the students
curiosity are raised as the activity enables the students to fully uses their freedom
and understanding to construct for the mathematical solution which they think is
correct. As a result, students become more engaged in their learning as opportunity
to explore, discover and coaching others becomes part of the learning process.
Becta (2003) [5] summed up that activity which involves ICT encourages
communication and expression of ideas.
It is also hope that more activity that focuses on drag and drop powered-by J-query
will further promote open-ended investigations, problem orientated activities, and
active learning by students. Beare. R. (1992) [6]
The researcher was not only rewarded with a positive hint of success based on the
pretest and post-test results but more surprisingly from the responses given by the
students compiled by the goggle forms [goggle analytics shown in attachments]

11.0 CONCLUSIONS
This activity involving drag and drop powered-by J-query may promote students
participation through collaborative and cooperative partnership among students.
Peer coaching or buddy support is clearly presented during the activity. Students
who have better understanding help those who are lacking. The activities managed
to keep the students engage throughout the 80 minutes or more. Students felt
positive about their ideas, as they can present their ideas clearly, systematically and
with confidence. Through coaching from their peers as well as discussion on what
was their misconception and what is correct, students began to realize their mistakes
that they have repeatedly made. The researcher hopes that students who realize
their mistakes will not repeat the mistakes anymore in future. [7]
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It is however, only the beginning as the researcher believes that more challenging
activities can still be created using J-query to promote and encourage higher order
thinking skills which encourages and supports the 21st century pedagogy.

12.0 RECOMMENDATIONS AND REFLECTIONS

The researcher recognizes that creating the application or tools is not an easy task
as it takes the researcher more than 6 months to prepare and customize the tools for
use in classroom adapted for mathematics. It also takes many long hours for the
researcher to prepare the lessons or activities. However, once done, the agony and
the toils are forgotten when students may use it on-line and off-line and also in their
mobile phone as well. It is hope that more of these tools can be made available to
students and more research be conducted towards this area. It does not cost
anything but only dedication and commitment from teachers who first must be willing
to learn J-query and second willing to spent long hours designing meaningful
activities.
Recently, these tools were tried on the smart board in one of the school in Penang. It
works wonderfully! Just imagine students all working together cooperatively and
collaborative solving a mathematic problem in unison. As a researcher, it was an
unforgettable and breathtaking experience.
REFERENCES Commented [DL23]: The APA format not adhere to. E.g. to be
alphabetically arranged.
1. Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013 2025, the 11 shifts

2. Almy, M. (1975). The early childhood educator at work. New York: McGraw-Hill.

3. Biber, B. (1984). Early education and psychological development. New Haven:

Yale
University Press.

4. Herrington, J., and Standen, P. Moving from an instructivist to a constructivist

learning environment, Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 9 (3):
195 205.

5. Becta. (2003). What the Research Says about Using ICT in Maths: Becta ICT
Research.
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6. Beare R. (1992). Software tools in science classrooms. Journal of Computer

Assisted Learning 8: 221 230.

7. David Chng Yeang Soon (2009) Spreadsheet as a tool for promoting HOTs
activities.

8. Dr. Ng Khar Thoe, Mr. David Chng Yeang Soon, Dr. Lay Yoon Fah, Dr. Suma
Parahakaran, Ms. Ng Yu Yan, Ms. Ong Lay Sim ( 14 March 2016). Enhancing
essential skills of learners through values-based sustainable energy education
leveraging on interactive blended learning tools. Innovative practices in education
and industry exhibition (I-Phenx 2016) Silver Award Commented [DL24]: Not cited in the article.

Attachments:
Pictures of students participating in the drag and drop activities using J-query

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Drag and drop activity encourages the students to explore and investigate and make mathematical
sense

It promotes collaboration, cooperation as well as peer coaching for the benefits of all

It encourages student based learning while the teacher acts as a facilitator

Some of the students activities using drag and drop. Different groups different flow of thoughts

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Goggle Forms

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Goggle Analytics

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Detailed results from the pre-test and post-test

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Pre-test and Post-test samples

Pre-test: math is Fun Program
Solve the following questions within the time frame allotted:
Name: ___________________________________________ Class:
_____________________
Do all the questions
QUESTION 1
Find the roots of the quadratic equation 2 x 2 5 x 10 0 using completing the square
method
QUESTION 2
Find the roots of the quadratic equation 3x 2 7 x 5 0 using completing the square
method
QUESTION 3
Given that the roots of a 5 x 2 3x 6 0 are n and m . Determine the possible values of
m and of n.
QUESTION 4

Given that log3 m n , express each of the following in terms of n

a) log m 27 m
b) log m 243

c) log 9 3m2
d) log 3 3 m

Post-test: Math is Fun Program

Solve the following questions within the time frame allotted:
Name: ___________________________________________ Class:
_____________________
Do all the questions
QUESTION 1
Find the roots of the quadratic equation x 2 5 x 6 0 using completing the square
method

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QUESTION 2
Find the roots of the quadratic equation 2 x 2 3x 2 0 using completing the square
method
QUESTION 3
If the roots of 3x 2 4 x 4 are m and n 2 , Determine the possible values of m and of n.
QUESTION 4

Given that log 3 2 x , and log 3 5 y express each of the following in terms of x or y or x
and y

a) log 3 10 b) log 3 25

c) log 5 15 d) log 3 3 4

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