The Effects of Activity-based and Inquiry-based Teaching Methods on Student Attitude and Perception Toward Geometry

This quantitative action research project evaluated high school students’ attitude and perceptions toward geometry before and after two units that were taught. The first unit was taught using a more traditional style of teaching while the second method incorporated activity-based and inquiry-based lessons into a traditional method of teaching. The students were surveyed by using a modified version of Bauer’s (2008) Attitude Toward the Subject of Chemistry Inventory. The survey was changed to focus on the students’ attitudes and perceptions toward geometry. Survey scores in the subscales: interest and utility, anxiety, intellectual accessibility, fear and emotional satisfaction were compared through statistical analysis of mean, standard deviation, and t-test. Students’ attitudes and perceptions were not significantly different between the two units that were taught. The results of the survey were inconclusive and showed that there needs to be continued research