Undergraduate Thesis

Hard Copy Available at the Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

The Effect of Using Mathematics Activities Based on Problem-Based Learning on Mathematical Connection and Attitude Towards Mathematics Learning of Eighth Grade Students

Kamlue, N., & Nenthien, S. (2017). The effect of using mathematics activities based on problem-based learning on mathematical connection and attitude towards mathematics learning of eighth grade students (Unpublished undergraduate thesis). Chulalongkorn University.

Since I had never taught a class, I asked Dr. Sansanee Nenthien to support me in observing a classroom in my hometown—Wiang Sa District, Nan Province, Thailand—during the summer break between my sophomore and junior years, toidentify a topic for my undergraduate thesis.

What I observed in the real classroom context was that students often struggled to see the relevance of mathematics in their daily lives. They frequently questioned their teachers: Why do we need to learn this difficult math if we cannot see its use in reality? (e.g., when buying groceries at a market). I recognized this educational issue, but did not yet know how to address it effectively. To begin, I created a vision board that attempted to answer their question directly by illustrating how mathematics connects to real life.

Later, when I attended the 2014 EDUCA national conference in Thailand, I participated in a session that discussed how teachers in Finland used problem-based learning (PBL) as an approach to help students make connections between mathematics and reality. I linked that approach with the issue I faced at the Sa School in my hometown. I began reading Tan’s (2003) book—a copy kindly lent to me by Dr. Pairot Nuamnoom, a mathematics education faculty member at Chulalongkorn University—to learn more about the PBL construct. In 2016, I purchased my own copy and continued my PBL journey, which eventually led me to attend the PBL 2020 Workshop at the University of Delaware.