Students with Visual Impairments’ Comprehension of Visual and Algebraic Representations, Relations and Correspondence

Abstract

Exploring learning trajectories based on student thinking is needed to develop the teaching curricula, practices and educational support materials in mathematics for students with visual impairments. Hence, this study aims to reveal student thinking through various instructional tasks and tactile materials to explore the sequence of goals in the learning trajectory. A teaching experiment involving introductory information on algebraic and visual representations regarding advanced mathematical concepts was designed for correspondence and relations. The research was carried out with a braille-literate 10th-grade high school student with a congenital visual impairment where colour and light are not perceived in Türkiye. As a result of the teaching experiment, the participant was able to determine the correspondence and relations between two sets using different representations. He even designed graphic representations using the needle page. The learning trajectory goals and instructional tasks can serve as guides for research on curriculum development, practice design and material development.