Abstract:
Visualisation has commonly been perceived as a helpful problem-solving tool. When students experience difficulties during problem-solving, they are often encouraged by their teachers to “draw a picture”. However, the “draw a picture” strategy can be perceived by students in many ways and does not necessarily contribute to successful problem-solving. To provide further insight into the visualisation process during algebra problem-solving, this thesis investigates the role of visual representation within the context of algebra problems to determine whether the “draw a picture” strategy should be considered as a helpful problem-solving tool. It reports on how students describe the visualisation process during algebra problem-solving, the impact of using visual representations during algebra problem-solving, and how different types of visual representations contribute to successful or unsuccessful algebra problem-solving. Despite individual differences, the findings of this study indicate that visual representations can be used as a helpful problem-solving tool, but only when it used appropriately and in appropriate situations. Students need to be able to identify whether visual representations are suitable for the problem type and be able to create visual representations that can be used effectively during algebra problem-solving. Therefore, it is important to develop a good understanding of visual representations so that meaningful connections can be made between “draw a picture” and creating helpful visual representations that can contribute to successful algebra problem-solving.
