Mathematics, Science and Technology Education
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- ItemComplexities in the availability of mathematics and physical science teachers in rural high schools within the King Cetshwayo District(2022) Smith Vincent TitosResearch indicated that South Africa currently lacks the potential to develop economically without importing international technical and technical resources. If this country is to be a part of the technologically advanced global village, science must educate policy and accelerate the transition to a mathematical and critical thinker society. This is critical since a lack of experience affects the country's overall economic outlook. The study examined the complexities in the availability of Mathematics and Physical Science teachers in rural high schools within King Cetshwayo District while focusing on exploring the factors responsible for the poor performance among Grade 12 learners. Results show that rural environment demotivates teachers. Most science and mathematics teachers only stay for two to three years, while only a few stay for five years or more. It is therefore difficult to keep science subject educators in rural schools. The study also established that fewer students are taking mathematics and science-related subjects at the universities for their degree qualifications, which adversely affects the supply of teachers in rural based high schools. In some cases, this has led to schools discontinuing the teaching of mathematics and physical science. The study recommends that teachers in rural areas should be motivated by offering them enough support and giving them incentives or allowances. The department of education should provide resources to equip the school’s science laboratory for science teachers to deliver results.
- ItemFactors affecting mathematics teaching to grade 10 learners in rural schools of the mutale cluster in the Vhembe District(2022) Mufhudi Humbulani HildaIn South Africa, the secondary school learners generally perform poorly in Mathematics, rather than in the other subjects. The Mathematics pass rate at National Senior Certificate level (NSC, Grade 12) in 2019 was 54.6%. Ironically, other subjects had a 70% + pass rate in Grade 10. This study was grounded on the idea that Mathematics teaching is concerned with the acquisition of aspects such as Mathematical facts, concepts and principles, inter alia. It was underpinned by the constructivism theory, while positivism had been its paradigmatic inclination. The model was used for the understanding of the context-specific meanings regarding the factors affecting Mathematics teaching at Grade 10 in rural schools. This study was done quantitatively, and this methodology enabled me to investigate the phenomenon through the use of figures. The population of this study were all Grade 10 Mathematics teachers in the Mutale Cluster, in the Vhembe District. The simple random sampling technique was applied in selecting its sample. Its findings indicated that teachers still facilitate Mathematics lessons using ‘traditional approaches’, namely the ‘telling and showing’. Needless to say that the teaching of Mathematics especially at Grade 10- level, should strictly be based on using different methods so that learners could end up having understood it properly, and also indicate that the teaching of Mathematics to Grade 10 learners should be improved by using different types of teaching methods when teaching it. Teachers experienced challenges that prohibited them from incorporating modern Mathematics approaches, with the old methods known to them. Overall, through using the different methods when teaching Mathematics as explained, might lead to our learners performing well in the same Grade 10-level. This study recommends that further studies should be done in South Africa’s public schools in Mathematics teaching, so that learners’ poor performance in Mathematics, could be improved. On the other hand, a survey research design was also used for data collection, as it helps to minimise error in the data collection. In so doing, it also would also further assist to enable that the findings of this study are valid and reliable. The misuse of Mathematics’ objectives in Grade 10 learners’ teaching especially in the Mutale Cluster, appeared to be a contributing factor leading learners not to understand it well. Additionally, teachers seemed to be changing teaching paces to the new topics faster, having learners not understood them. In most schools, found in the Mutale v Cluster, no suitable textbooks appeared to be used by Grade 10 learners in schools. A clarion call might be that the recently prescribed textbooks and all the necessary stationaries have to be used so that the rate of Mathematics teaching in Grade 10- level could be drastically changed. As a concluding remark, I then urge all the concerned stakeholders in schools, to strictly make a combination of both the old and new methods of teaching Mathematics at Grade 10-level. For example, the old method of using the collected sticks while teaching the counting of numbers, and even letting learners know the multiplication process through memorisation, especially of numbers less than ten (10) without calculators. At that point, it could lead learners to understand the Grade 10-level Mathematics at the level of their abilities in schools. In addition to this, the tendency of conducting the extra Mathematics classes could assist to strengthen its teaching to the Grade 10-learners. In so doing, the best ever seen results might simply be obtained in Mathematics Grade 10-level at least every year. Once again, the strictly use of the basic knowledge due to be explained later in this study, would also without any further doubt enable the learners to understand Mathematics at Grade 10-level properly well.
- ItemPre-service primary teachers' cognition of MTK for Euclidean geometric patterns and its effects in classroom practice(University of Zululand, 2021) Dlamini, Simon NThis study investigates the mathematical knowledge for teaching Euclidean geometric patterns held by pre-service primary school mathematics teachers during their final year of study. This investigation was intended to establish the cognition of the pre-service teachers on MKT for geometric patterns and its effect in classroom practice. The literature on teacher knowledge alludes to the fact that many teachers exit university with limited knowledge for teaching mathematics. This study seeks to determine the pre-service teachers‘ mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) geometric patterns. Using a mixed methods design, the study investigated the applicability of the LMT measures in Eswatini, the cognition of pre-service teachers on geometric patterns and the effect of this cognition on classroom practice. The MKT framework underpinned the study in data collection and data analysis. Data analysed to respond to the three research questions was collected through a pilot study, pen-andpaper cognition test and lesson observations. The study was conducted in two phases. The first phase investigates the applicability of the LMT measures in Eswatini, through a pilot study, and determines the cognition of the pre-service teachers on geometric patterns. The pilot study involved 34 pre-service primary school mathematics teachers who were given the LMT measures in the form of a pen-and-paper cognition test. The data from the pilot study was statistically analysed to adapt the measures to the local context and to establish their applicability in Eswatini. The results indicated that the difficulty index of the measures was higher for the Eswatini pre-service teachers than it was reported for the USA teachers. Hence, the measures are only valid in identifying teachers with high levels of MKT in Eswatini. To determine the cognition of the pre-service teachers on geometric patterns, the adapted measures were administered to a sample of 94 (n=94) final year pre-service primary school mathematics teachers registered for a Primary Teachers Diploma programme. The study revealed that the pre-service teachers' cognition of Euclidean geometric patterns was varied, with most teachers having low levels of mathematical knowledge for teaching (Mean = 45%, SD = 17). The second phase of the study investigates the effect of the pre-service teachers‘ cognition on geometric patterns in classroom practice. Data was collected through classroom observations, which were video-recorded, of lessons on geometric patterns conducted by three stratified sampled teachers. The classroom observation videos were analysed using the Assessing Quality of Instruction in Primary Mathematics (AQIPM) framework. The results showed that there was a positive correlation between the pre-service teachers' level of mathematical knowledge for teaching and their quality of mathematics lessons (r = .99, p < .05). These results indicate that teacher development of mathematical knowledge for teaching in pre-service teachers. Further study is recommended in this area to help develop a teaching model that will facilitate the acquisition of mathematical knowledge for teaching in teacher education institutions.
- ItemExploring grade 12 learners’ graphical interpretation of rate and extent of reaction: a case study of King Cetshwayo district grade 12 learners(University of Zululand, 2022) Qwabe, Zanele Mary-JaneGraphs are very important in all areas of science, and they are an essential part of tertiary, high school, and primary school curricula around the world. A solid understanding of graph interpretation is essential for understanding today's world and becoming a scientifically literate. However, graph interpretation is a complex and challenging activity. The aim of this study was to explore learners’ graphical interpretation of the rate and extent of reaction topic. A mixed-method explanatory sequential design was adopted for this study. A purposive sampling technique was used to sample participants from the accessible population in King Cetshwayo District KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. One-hundred and forty-six (146) grade 12 Physical Sciences learners, formed the sample from King Cetshwayo District. A validated three-tier diagnostic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The findings indicated that learners rely on definitions to interpret graphs. Most of the learners failed to interpret the surface features of the graphs. Interpretations were ranked hierarchical (Curcio’s levels) to measure learners’ graphical literacy and most learners struggled with lower levels. The findings of this study are diagnostic and they assist module designers and educators in determining challenges learner’s face when interpreting graphs in chemistry. Further studies are needed to determine how surface features can be employed to address graphical interpretation in chemical kinetics.
- ItemTeaching strategies motivating the learning of grade 10 Mathematics in the Hlanganani North Circuit, Vhembe District.(Univeristy of Zululand, 2021) Mugwena, AzwianewiLearning Mathematics has become problematic to most students, particularly the so called “slow learners”. Mathematical knowledge and skills are becoming more crucial than ever before in our workplaces and in our everyday life experiences. The idea is to ensure that learners gain the indispensable mathematical knowledge, skills, and reasoning required in everyday life. The 21st Century has seen Mathematics taking a centre stage in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. That is, Mathematics has become central in our lives given that we enumerate and compute every day through the use of various technical gadgets such as smartphones, ATMs, and computers, inter alia. However, not much has been studied about the teaching strategies that motivate the learning of Grade 10 Mathematics in the Vhembe District. The study answered the question; which teaching strategies help motivate the Mathematics learning at Grade 10 level in the Hlanganani North Circuit? Thus, the study investigated the teaching strategies that motivate the learning of Grade 10 Mathematics at Hlanganani North Circuit, Vhembe District. The study was informed by Vygotsky’s (1986) constructivism theory. It argues that gaining an insight into what teachers go through as they teach would change the way Mathematics is taught at Grade 10 level in the Hlanganani North Circuit. This study adopted mixed methods research. Its participants were purposefully chosen. It was found that there are limited workshops dedicated to the deliberations on how best Mathematics could be taught at Grade 10 level in this circuit. This is detrimental to learners’ improvements in Mathematics as they are taught by poorly equipped teachers. Thus, the conclusion is that there is not much support for teachers as they grapple with difficulties associated with Mathematics teaching in this circuit. Keywords: Workshops, Mathematics teachers, Grade 10 learners, Mathematics problems, Enumerate.