Learning Quadratic Functions with ChatGPT: An Innovative Experience in High School Mathematics Education

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46328/ijemst.5074

Keywords:

ChatGPT, Mathematics Education, Adidactic situations, Artificial intelligence

Abstract

The present study explores the possibility of using ChatGPT as a tutor, to support the teacher’s work in creating solid didactic and adidactic situations in the mathematics classroom, employing qualitative analysis methodologies. The study was based on a didactic experiment carried out in a 10th-grade class in Portugal, involving 26 students who were obtained through purposive sampling. Data sources included submitted student work in the classroom, responses to scripted questions, and answers to open-ended questionnaires. Data were analyzed thematically. Findings show that ChatGPT has a potential to enhance learners’ development of critical thinking and mathematical reasoning when used as an assistant tutor in a mathematics classroom. Additionally, the study highlights the limitations of ChatGPT-3.5 when used as the assistant tutor in a mathematics classroom. The study underscores the need to balance pedagogical and technological approaches, addressing the constrains of tools like ChatGPT.

References

AlAfnan, M. A., Dishari, S., Jovic, M., & Lomidze, K. (2023). ChatGPT as an educational tool: Opportunities, challenges, and recommendations for communication, business writing, and composition courses. Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Technology. https://doi.org/10.37965/jait.2023.0184

Antunes Ribeiro, A. R., Rosotti Navarro, E., & Kalinke, M. A. (2024). O uso do ChatGPT para resolver problemas matemáticos sobre grandezas direta e inversamente proporcionais. Revista Pesquisa Qualitativa, 12(30), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.33361/RPQ.2024.v.12.n.30.716

Bagno, E., Noah, D.-P. T., & Reches, S. (2024). ChatGPT in teaching linear algebra: Strides forward, steps to go. Open Education Studies, 6, 1. https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2024-0031

Bayaga, A., Mthethwa, M. M., Bossé, M. J., & Williams, D. (2019). Impacts of implementing GeoGebra on eleventh grade students’ learning of Euclidean geometry. South African Journal of Higher Education, 33(6). https://doi.org/10.20853/33-6-2824

Binti Misrom, N. S., Muhammad, A. S., Abdullah, A. H., Osman, S., Hamzah, M. H., & Fauzan, A. (2020). Enhancing students’ higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) through an inductive reasoning strategy using GeoGebra. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 15(3), 156–179. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i03.9839

Botana, F., & Recio, T. (2024). Geometric loci and ChatGPT: Caveat emptor! Computation, 12(2), 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/computation12020030

Botana, F., Recio, T., & Villar, M. P. (2024). On using GeoGebra and ChatGPT for geometric discovery. Computers, 13(8), 187. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers13080187

Brousseau, G. (2021). Introdução ao estudo das situações didáticas: Conteúdos e métodos de ensino (C. Borgéa, Trans.). Editora Ática.

Brousseau, G. (2002). Theory of didactical situations in mathematics: Didactique des mathématiques, 1970–1990 (N. Balacheff, M. Cooper, R. Sutherland, & V. Warfield, Eds.). Springer. (Original work published 1997)

Canonigo, A. M. (2024). Leveraging AI to enhance students’ conceptual understanding and confidence in mathematics. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 40(6), 3215–3229. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.13065

Chen, X., Xie, H., Zou, D., & Hwang, G.-J. (2020). Application and theory gaps during the rise of artificial intelligence in education. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 1, 100002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2020.100002

Chiu, T. K. F., Xia, Q., Zhou, X., Chai, C. S., & Cheng, M. (2023). Systematic literature review on opportunities, challenges, and future research recommendations of artificial intelligence in education. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 4, 100118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2022.100118

Cobb, P. (2000). Handbook of research design in mathematics and science education. In A. E. Kelly & R. A. Lesh (Eds.), Handbook of research design in mathematics and science education (pp. 307–334). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Ding, L., Li, T., Jiang, S., & Gapud, A. (2023). Students’ perceptions of using ChatGPT in a physics class as a virtual tutor. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20, 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00434-1

diSessa, A. (2000). Changing minds: Computers, learning, and literacy. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/1786.001.0001

Dos Santos, J., Silva, J. C., & Lavicza, Z. (2024). GeoGebra Classroom na formação inicial de professores de matemática. In A. Amélia et al. (Eds.), Universidade de Coimbra (pp. 162–172). Centro de Estudos Interdisciplinares.

Egara, F. O., & Mosimege, M. (2024). Exploring the integration of artificial intelligence-based ChatGPT into mathematics instruction: Perceptions, challenges, and implications for educators. Education Sciences, 14(7), 742. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070742

Fadel, C., & Bialik, M. (2019). Artificial intelligence in education. Independently Published.

Fischer, G., Lundin, J., & Lindberg, O. J. (2020). Rethinking and reinventing learning, education and collaboration in the digital age—from creating technologies to transforming cultures. International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, 37(5), 241–252. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJILT-04-2020-0051

von Garrel, J., & Mayer, J. (2023). Artificial intelligence in studies—Use of ChatGPT and AI-based tools among students in Germany. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10, 364. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02304-7

Goel, A. K., & Joyner, D. A. (2017). Using AI to teach AI: Lessons from an online AI class. AI Magazine, 38(2), 48–59. https://doi.org/10.1609/aimag.v38i2.2732

Gouia-Zarrad, R., & Gunn, C. (2024). Enhancing students’ learning experience in mathematics class through ChatGPT. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 19(3), em0780. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/14614

Hernández, A., Perdomo-Díaz, J., & Camacho-Machín, M. (2020). Mathematical understanding in problem solving with GeoGebra: A case study in initial teacher education. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 51(2), 223–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2019.1587022

Huang, M.-H., & Rust, R. T. (2021). Engaged to a robot? The role of AI in service. Journal of Service Research, 24(1), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670520902266

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1998). Learning together and alone (5th ed.). Pearson.

Joshi, D. R., & Singh, K. B. (2020). Effect of using GeoGebra on eighth-grade students’ understanding in learning linear equations. Mathematics Teaching-Research Journal, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4886310

Lameras, P., & Arnab, S. (2022). Power to the teachers: An exploratory review on artificial intelligence in education. Information, 13(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/info13010014

Luckin, R., & Holmes, W. (2016). Intelligence unleashed: An argument for AI in education. UCL Knowledge Lab.

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00684.x

Neuendorf, K. A. (2018). Content analysis and thematic analysis. In The content analysis guidebook (pp. 211–223). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315517971-21

OpenAI. (2024). GPT-4 technical report. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2403.05530

Selwyn, N. (2019). Should robots replace teachers? AI and the future of education. Wiley.

Simon, M. A. (1995). Reconstructing mathematics pedagogy from a constructivist perspective. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 26(2), 114–145. https://doi.org/10.2307/749205

Steffe, L. P., & Thompson, P. W. (2000). Handbook of research design in mathematics and science education. In A. E. Kelly & R. A. Lesh (Eds.), Handbook of research design in mathematics and science education (pp. 267–306). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Tong, D., Tao, Y., Zhang, K., Dong, X., Hu, Y., Pan, S., & Liu, Q. (2024). Investigating ChatGPT-4’s performance in solving physics problems and its potential implications for education. Asia Pacific Education Review, 25(5), 779–794. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-023-09913-6

Uwurukundo, M. S., Maniraho, J. F., & Tusiime, M. (2020). GeoGebra integration and effectiveness in the teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools: A review of literature. African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, 16(1), 89–101. https://doi.org/10.4314/ajesms.v16i1.1

Williamson, B. (2017). Big data in education: The digital future of learning, policy and practice. SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529714920

Williamson, B., & Eynon, R. (2020). Historical threads, missing links, and future directions in AI in education. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(3), 223–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2020.1798995

Yohannes, A., & Chen, H.-L. (2023). GeoGebra in mathematics education: A systematic review of journal articles published from 2010 to 2020. Interactive Learning Environments, 31(9), 5960–5978. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.2016861

Yoon, H., Hwang, J., Lee, K., Roh, K. H., & Kwon, O. N. (2024). Students’ use of generative artificial intelligence for proving mathematical statements. ZDM – Mathematics Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-024-01629-0

Yunianto, W., Lavicza, Z., Kastner-Hauler, O., & Houghton, T. (2024). Investigating the use of ChatGPT to solve a GeoGebra-based mathematics + computational thinking task in a geometry topic. Journal on Mathematics Education, 15(3), 1027–1052. https://doi.org/10.22342/jme.v15i3.pp1027-1052

Zawacki-Richter, O., Marín, V. I., Bond, M., & Gouverneur, F. (2019). Systematic review of research on artificial intelligence applications in higher education: Where are the educators? International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 16, 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0171-0

Downloads

Published

2026-01-01

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Learning Quadratic Functions with ChatGPT: An Innovative Experience in High School Mathematics Education. (2026). International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, 14(1), 296-314. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijemst.5074