Factors affecting mathematics teaching to grade 10 learners in rural schools of the mutale cluster in the Vhembe District
Loading...
Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
In 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.
Description
A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the academic requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in the Faculty of Education, University of Zululand, 2022.