Function Art

This study explores how students across Grades 8 to 12 engage with mathematical functions in creative, visual ways through function art—an innovative STEAM-based educational approach. Grounded in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) framework and employing a Design-Based Research methodology, the project involved 400 students from the Philippines who created digital artworks using GeoGebra. To uncover learner profiles, a person-centred clustering method—hierarchical clustering on principal components—was applied to variables representing the number and types of functions used. The results revealed three distinct student profiles: Repetitivists (high function quantity, low diversity), Simplists (low quantity and diversity), and Multifunctionists (high diversity, low quantity). Further analysis showed meaningful associations between cluster membership, grade level, and function strategies. Qualitative evaluation using TIMSS cognitive domains—Knowing, Applying, and Reasoning—highlighted that students’ use of mathematical strategies and precision in transformations varied widely, often independently of the quantity or diversity of functions used. These findings suggest that function art, when analyzed through learning analytics, provides a rich lens for understanding students’ mathematical thinking and offers valuable insights for tailoring interdisciplinary instruction in STEAM education.