AN EXPLORATION OF INTEGRATING MATHEMATICAL MODELING IDEAS IN TEACHING APPLICATION OF FUNCTIONS.

This paper presents an instructional design that integrates mathematical modeling concepts to teach the application of functions. The design emphasizes exploratory teaching materials, realworld scenarios, student-driven tasks, and technologies, which have shown potential in aiding students to attain a better understanding of function-related concepts, fostering their engagement in class, and enhancing their problem-solving and self-exploration skills. To validate the efficacy of the new design, we implemented a curriculum and interviewed students who experienced and did not experience the design. Using thematic analysis, we analyzed the transcripts and found that the design could improve students' performance across several measures, although some challenges were also identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]