Mathematics, Science and Technology Education

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Browsing Mathematics, Science and Technology Education by Subject "Exponential and Logarithmic"

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    A study of factors contributing to underachievement in exponential and logarithmic functions in the Further Education and Training school phase
    (University of Zululand, 2019) Mohammad, Javed Khizer; Imenda, S.N.
    This study sought to determine the NSC learners’ level of understandings of exponential and logarithmic functions; grade twelve teachers’ self- assessment of their readiness to teach exponential and logarithmic functions; the relationship between the educators’ self-concept about their ability to teach exponential and logarithmic functions and the actual performance of their learners; and whether or not the educators’ MCK and PCK impacted learner achievement in exponential and logarithmic functions. The study developed a conceptual framework from literature which consisted of two major components depicting learner and educator readiness. These models illustrated factors that could possibly affect the ability of the learner to succeed in understanding instruction related to exponential equations and logarithmic functions, as well as those that would prevent educators from delivering optimum instruction to learners. This study used a mixed-methods research paradigm, as there was need to collect both quantitative and qualitative data in order to adequately answer the four research questions. The survey research design was used, and data were collected through a researcher-designed test (for learners) and a researcher-designed questionnaire for educators, focusing on their MCK and PCK. The research sample, consisting of nine school principals, nine mathematics educators, and 242 mathematics learners based in nine randomly selected schools, was drawn from a target population of high schools in the uMkhanyakude education district, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Analysis was done using the SPSS version 23 software programme. The results revealed that learners had basic understanding of exponential and logarithmic functions in most aspects of the topic, although their performance was border line. For the educators, although all they were suitably qualified in terms of their minimum requirements for registration with the South African Council for Educators (SACE), their performance on the same test taken by their learners was only marginally above the performance of their learners. The educators’ responses to the question about their readiness to teach exponential equations and logarithmic functions were v mixed shedding some light on why many of them were unable to solve the same problems given to their learners. On the relationship between educators’ self-concept about their ability to teach exponential and logarithmic functions and their learners’ performance, the results showed that learners whose teachers considered themselves to be suitably qualified, knowledgeable and able to teach exponential and logarithmic functions performed significantly lower than learners whose teachers considered themselves not to be suitably qualified, knowledgeable and able to teach exponential and logarithmic functions. The results of the questions which sought to establish the impact of educators’ MCK and PCK on learner performance in exponential and logarithmic functions drew a blank, suggesting that there was no relationship between teachers’ MCK and PCK, on one hand, and learner performance, on another.
University of Zululand