Date Approved
4-28-1997
Embargo Period
8-25-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Mathematics Education
Department
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math Education
College
College of Education
Advisor
Sooy, John
Subject(s)
Geometry--Study and teaching (Secondary); Mathematics--History
Disciplines
Science and Mathematics Education
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to integrate the history of mathematics into those topics found in a high school geometry curriculum and to determine the current extent of this integration During the last decade, the History in Mathematics in Education Conference (1990) and the History and Pedagogy of Mathematics Newsletter (1992) are examples of recent efforts to use the history of mathematics as an integral part of the curriculum.
Fifty-one teachers from forty high schools in southeastern Pennsylvania responded to the History of Mathematics in the Classroom questionnaire, which was developed from a review of literature. Geometry teachers rated the importance of areas in the history of mathematics that may be used in the geometry curriculum, using a scale of 5 (very important) to 1 (not important) The teachers also noted which of the areas they currently include in their curricula. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient of 0.79 shows a moderately high correlation between which areas teachers judged to be important and their practices in the classroom.
Based on the data gathered from the questionnaire results, etymologies, the axiomatic system of Euclid, and various proofs of the Pythagorean theorem are the areas in which the history can be used integrally.
Recommended Citation
Laszecki, Karen M., "A study to integrate the history of mathematics into the geometry curriculum" (1997). Theses and Dissertations. 2073.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/2073
