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Namibian Teachers' and Learners' Attitudes Towards the New Mathematics Promotion Requirements for Grade 5-9: a Qualitative Case Study

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Namibian Teachers' and Learners' Attitudes Towards the New Mathematics Promotion Requirements for Grade 5-9: a Qualitative Case Study Namibian Teachers' and Learners' Attitudes towards the New Mathematics Promotion Requirements for Grade 5-9: A Qualitative Case Study A K Moses Namibian Teachers' and Learners' Attitudes towards the New Mathematics Promotion Requirements for Grade 5-9: A Qualitative Case Study Dissertation submitted in the fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Education at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University Supervisor: Dr. Illasha Kok Co-supervisor: Prof Dr A.Seugnet Blignaut October 2012 Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank the Almighty God for the blessings, strength and courage He poured upon me to tackle this study. I would like to acknowledge: • Dr. Illasha Kok, my supervisor, for all her infinite support and taking me through the journey of this study and believing in me. She really made a difference in my life and I will honour her for the rest of my life • Prof. Seugnet Blignaut, my co-supervisor, for her support and encouragement that made me grew academically. She always made it possible for me to travel to Potchefstroom, several times, to meet with my supervisor • Mrs. Estie Theron, the role player for administration. She made sure that everything was in order when I travelled to Potchefstroom • Mrs. Verona Cassim, Ms. Marichelle van Deventer and Mr. Jacques Pienaar for your contribution, guidance, good company and advices offered towards the compilation of this study • My special thanks and appreciations go to Mrs. Hettie Sieberhagen for editing my research, as well as Liezl Potgieter. • My heartfelt appreciation goes to the participants, colleagues and everyone who contributed directly or indirectly towards the research. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge my family for the infinite encouragement, love and patience during the sleepless nights. i Abstract Mathematics achievement has received much attention in recent years and results have been presented after examining results from different counties. This contribution deals with the implementation of new Mathematic promotion requirements in Namibia. The research was conducted in Shambyu circuit, Kavango region, within a selected combined public school situated fifteen kilometres from Rundu in the North-Eastern part of Kavango. Teachers and learners in Namibia have not performed well in the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) projects, especially in Mathematics. The implementation of new promotion requirements was inevitable for improving achievement levels. The main aim of this study is to document the attitudes of teachers and learners towards the introduction of the new 2010 Mathematics promotion requirements. The complexity and the nature of attitudes are illustrated and some of the characteristics related to teaching and learning of Mathematics in the academic reform are presented. The researcher developed a conceptual framework to compare and contrast the theoretical positions on the topic. Attitude is defined from diverse perspectives, and relationships of attitudes pertaining to achievement to perform in Mathematics are argued. A qualitative case study was the preferred method of choice. The participants were sampled according to a non-probability purposive sampling strategy. Five teachers, six grade 7 and six grade 9 learners participated in the study. The participants were interviewed to gain insight into how they formulated their attitudes towards the implementation of the academic reform. Focus group interviews were captured though audio recordings. Patterns, themes and categories emerged from the data analysis, suggesting that teachers and learners demonstrate positive and negative attitudes which affect their stance towards the new promotion requirements. Research findings were compared with the relevant literature to identify strengths and weaknesses as extracted from the attitudes of the participating teachers and learners which confirm that attitudes of teachers and learners interrelate and affect teaching and learning of Mathematics. Strengths and weaknesses extracted from the attitudes of the teachers relate to teaching strategies, pedagogical content knowledge and practical application of the subject. A weakness of the policy change is that the Ministry of Education does not sustain involvement. Teachers need support through workshops to increase their pedagogical content knowledge and gain more information about the implementation of the new policy. Furthermore teachers expect educational support from the Ministry of Education through the provision of textbooks and teaching aids. Collaboration between teachers is crucial, as is ii the significance thereof for developing pedagogical content knowledge for the implementation of the new Mathematical policy. Strengths and weaknesses extracted from attitudes as viewed by learners in grade 9 are more related to their opinions about the teachers, their motivation and academic achievements. Learners’ natural Mathematics skills should be developed to instill feelings of accomplishment. Grade 9 learners experience fear and insecurity in Mathematics because learners experience teachers as too strict, owing to the absence of pedagogical content knowledge. The grade 9 learners distinguish the importance of ICT use in Mathematics as part of a process to prepare them towards greater goals and practical application as a strength. Both advantages and disadvantages of beliefs regarding Mathematics amongst the teachers and the learners guide grade 7 learner towards achievement. Further expectations drive the grade 7 learners towards achievement in order to increase career opportunities and level of schooling. In conclusion the in-depth qualitative exploration is summarized in order to investigate the phenomenon of attitudes towards Mathematics and academic reform. Keywords Mathematics promotion requirements Namibia Qualitative research Beliefs Motivation Attitudes Education reform iii Opsomming Prestasie in Wiskunde het die afgelope tyd baie aandag geniet, en nadat uitslae in verskeie lande bestudeer is, is resultate aangebied. Hierdie bydrae fokus op die implementering van nuwe Wiskunde bevorderingsvereistes in Namibië. Navorsing is gedoen in die Shambyukring, Kavangostreek in ‘n geselekteerde publieke skool vyftien kilometers vanaf Rundu in die Noord-Oostelike deel van die Kavango. Onderwysers en leerders in Namibië het nie goed gedoen in die Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) projekte nie, veral nie in Wiskunde nie. Dit het die implementering van nuwe slaagvereistes genoodsaak. Die hoofdoel van die navorsing is om houdings van onderwysers en leerders teenoor die implementering van die nuwe 2010 Wiskunde slaagvereistes in Namibië, te dokumenteer. Oortuigings word gedefinieer en vanuit perspektiewe, die verband tussen verskillende houding en prestasie in Wiskunde word beredeneer. Die gekompliseerdheid en aard van Wiskunde word omskryf en sommige eienskappe wat verband hou met onderrig en leer van Wiskunde word as deel van die nuwe akademiese slaagsyfer beleidsverandering bespreek. Die navorser het ‘n konseptuele raamwerk ontwikkel met die doel om teoretiese standpunte en aannames oor die onderwerp, te vergelyk. Vir hierdie studie is gebruik gemaak van ‘n kwalitatiewe gevallestudie. Die data is verkry deur gebruik van fokusgroep onderhoude. Vyf onderwysers, ses graad 7 en ses graad 9 leerders het aan die onderhoude deelgeneem. Die deelnemers is gekies met behulp van ‘n nie-waarskynlikheid- steekproefneming strategie. Die deelnemers se houdings teenoor die implementering van die nuwe Wiskunde slaagvereistes is bepaal. Duidelike patrone, temas en kategorieë het vanuit die data tevoorskyn gekom, die inligting het aangedui dat positiewe asook negatiewe houdings ‘n effek op die deelnemers se houdings het ten opsigte van die nuut aangepaste slaagsyfer beleidsverandering vereistes. Navorsingsbevindinge is vergelyk met relevante teorie om sterkpunte en swakpunte uit te wys soos dit onttrek is vanuit resultate met betrekking to die houdings van die deelnemers. Daar is verder gepoog om die houdings van die onderwysers en die leerders ten einde te bevestig dat daar ‘n verband bestaan en dat dit ‘n effek het op onderrig en leer van Wiskunde. Sterkpunte en swakpunte wat onttrek is uit die data betreffende die onderwysers se houdings fokus op onderrigstrategiee, pedagogiese vakkennis en praktiese toepassing van Wiskunde. “n Swakpunt is dat die akademiese slaagsyfer beleidsverandering nie volhoubaar deur die Ministerie van Onderwys ondersteun word nie. Onderwysers het ondersteuning nodig deur middel van werkswinkels om hulle pedagogiese vakkennis te verbeter, en om meer inligting te bekom oor die implementering van die nuwe beleid. Onderwysers verwag ook ondersteuning van die Ministerie van Onderwys sover dit die voorsiening van handboeke en hulpmiddels betref. Samewerking tussen onderwysers is belangrik vir die implementering van die nuwe Wiskundebeleid, en so ook die sinvolheid daarvan. iv Sterkpunte en swakhede onttrek vanuit houdings soos aangedui deur leerders in graad 9 hou verband met hul opinie oor die onderwysers, hulle motivering en akademiese prestasie. Die natuurlike aanleg wat leerders vir Wiskunde het moet ontwikkel word om sodoende by hulle ‘n gevoel van bekwaamheid te vestig. Graad 9 leerders voel angstig en onseker in Wiskunde omdat hulle die onderwysers as te streng ervaar, waarskynlik te wyte aan ontoereikende pedagogiese vakkennis van die onderwysers. Graad 9 leerders
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