Promoting Mathematical Discourse in an Online Learning Environment: The Instructional Power of Mathematical Internet Memes 

Teaching and learning in the 21st-century demand innovation in the learning environment to facilitate the needs of digital native learners. Internet memes are digital artefacts distinct to these digital natives. Considering the popularity of memes and the online learning landscape, this study explored the didactical possibilities of mathematical internet memes used to promote mathematical discourse and significantly improve students’ achievement in the online teaching of Mathematics. This study employed a pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental control group design to two intact 10th year classes of a local high school in the Philippines to compare students’ achievement scores as influenced by the intervention which is the use of mathematical memes. The teacher used mathematical internet memes during online class sessions and administered a meme-making activity where learners create as well as comment on mathematical internet memes. The results revealed that there is a significant difference in the achievement scores between the control group and the experimental group. The implications for this study will be useful for Mathematics educators that mathematical internet memes may be used to promote students’ mathematical discourse and improve their achievement in online learning environments.

Keywords: Internet Memes; Mathematical Discourse; Achievement; Online learning

To cite:  Godinez, C. D. O. (2023). Promoting Mathematical Discourse in an Online Learning Environment: The Instructional Power of Mathematical Internet Memes. EdArXiv. January, 7.