GeoGebra-supported contextual learning: Enhancing secondary school students’ mathematical communication and representation in transformation geometry

Abstract

GeoGebra in mathematics learning can potentially be used to help students improve their mathematical communication and representation skills in solving problems. However, limited research has examined the integration of GeoGebra and contextual mathematics learning to improve these skills. The study aims to examine the effectiveness of GeoGebra in contextual mathematics learning on students’ mathematical communication and representation skills. Using a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design, the study involved 53 ninth-grade students from a junior high school, who were divided into experimental and control groups through purposive sampling. They participated in a five-session GeoGebra-supported contextual learning program. Data collection was conducted through a mathematical representation ability test and a mathematical communication observation sheet. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, and multivariate analysis of covariance to examine the simultaneous effects of the intervention on both dependent variables. The results revealed significant improvements in both mathematical communication and representation skills. The intervention produced a small effect on mathematical communication (Cohen’s d = 0.402) and a large effect on mathematical representation (Cohen’s d = 1.61), indicating stronger gains in students’ ability to construct and translate mathematical representations. The findings demonstrate that dynamic visualization combined with contextual problem-solving provides an effective learning environment for strengthening students’ mathematical communication and representation (Antara & Sutama, 2026; Kholid et al., 2024b; Septiani & Kholid, 2023). Unlike previous studies that primarily examined GeoGebra or contextual learning separately, the study provides empirical evidence that integrating dynamic visualization through GeoGebra with contextual learning activities can simultaneously enhance students’ mathematical communication and representation skills.