Hy MAI: An ethno-STEM-based interactive website to improve high school students’ reasoning skills

Prior studies on students' mathematical reasoning abilities have shown that multimodal representations and local culture can bridge the gap between abstract concepts and students' understanding. To address this gap, this study developed and evaluated the interactive website Hy MAI, grounded in the Ethno-STEM approach, as a pedagogical innovation and theoretical contribution to design-based mathematics education. This study used Research and Development methods within an educational design research framework. Participants included expert validators (n = 4), one mathematics teacher, and eleventh-grade students (n = 74; 37 experimental, 37 control). Data were collected through expert validation sheets, teacher and student questionnaires, and pre- and post-tests. Expert validation yielded an average score of 3.40 (Good), confirming the accuracy of the content, interactivity, and cultural integration. Teachers rated practicality at 4.00 (Very Good), while students rated it at 3.03 (Practical). Effectiveness analysis showed significant improvements in reasoning skills. A paired-sample t-test yielded t(36) = –19.60, p < 0.001, and an independent-sample t-test revealed a significant post-test difference, t(72) = 8.77, p < 0.001. The N-Gain analysis showed 62.35% for the experimental group versus 16.08% for the control group. Overall, Hy MAI proved valid, practical, and effective, while also making theoretical contributions by demonstrating the systematic integration of technology, STEM principles, and local culture in mathematics education.