University of Macau / Faculty of Education

With the remarkable increase in immigration since the passage of the 1965 Immigration Act, approximately one in five children in the United States has at least one foreign-born parent (Hernandez & Charney, 1998). This study was an investigation of how students’ perceptions of their parents shaped the kind and degree of motivational goal orientations that they adopted in their mathematics classroom taking students’ different cultural and ethnic backgrounds into account. In this study, students of different ethnic backgrounds enrolled in an American high school reported their achievement goal orientations and self-regulated motivations for their math class, as well as their perceptions of parents’ goals for them, parents’ motivating styles, and the classroom’s goal structures. A total of 138 9th grade Anglo American students and Asian American students were included in the data analyses. In path analyses, Anglo American and Asian American students’ goal orientations were predicted by their perceptions of their parents’ goals for them as well as their parents’ motivating styles, mediated by the students’ self-regulated motivation. For both Anglo American and Asian American students, autonomous self-regulated motivation predicted mastery goal orientation, and less autonomous self-regulated motivation predicted performance goal orientations. However, the students’ perceptions of parental influence from different ethnic/cultural backgrounds were different in predicting students’ self-regulated motivations. Interestingly, Asian American children’s perceptions of parents’ controlling style as well as parents’ autonomy support could predict their mastery goal adoption via identified regulation, and their perception of parental control even predicted their intrinsic regulation. It was also interesting to note that Asian American students’ perceptions of parents’ goal orientations for them predicted their own goals not only directly but also mediated by their self-regulated motivations, unlike Anglo American students whose perceptions of parents’ goals predicted their own goals only mediated by their self-regulated motivations. An integration of self-determination theory and goal theory is offered, broadening the application of these two theories to students of different ethnic/cultural backgrounds. / text

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Education / Master / Master of Education

The purpose of this study was to establish current difficulties experienced by grade 10 mathematics educators after the implementation of the new curriculum in grade 9 (Senior Phase). Qualitative approach, using questionnaires' as a research tool was employed. The study was conducted from twenty grade 10-mathematics educators in a variety of schools. The questions were based on the current difficulties that educators were experiencing in grade 10 after the new curriculum was implemented in grade 9 in 2002. The research study was undertaken in different schools with different backgrounds in one District; UMgungundlovu of the Kwazulu - Natal Department of Education. These educators were from schools with the following backgrounds: • Rural schools • Township schools • Former White schools • Former Indians/ Coloureds schools The findings of the study are presented and these are interpreted and discussed under two categories: these being the kinds of difficulties enunciated by grade 10 mathematics educators and the researcher's comments on the findings. The Key Findings of this research study are the following: Grade 10 Mathematics educators complained that they have problems in teaching mathematics in grade 10 learners because: • Methods used in grade 9 are totally different from those they are using in grade 10. • There is no linkage between grade 9 and grade 10-mathematics syllabus. • Educators' lack training and teaching in outcomes - based approaches. • The new curriculum does not prepare learners to do pure mathematics in grade 10. • Learners cannot even work independently, only rely on the constant guidance from the educators and other members of the group. • Learners find it difficult doing individual work and completing homework and other class work. • Many learners drop out in mathematics classes and others even become worst in mathematics. The examinations or assessment (eTAs) which is an exit point from grade 9 to grade 10 have no value for the type of mathematics that is done in grade 10. • Textbooks used in grade 9 have lots of activities and lots and lots of stories and less mathematics. • Textbooks used in grades 8 and 9 are of poor quality and exercises are of pathetic quality. • Educators in grade 10 have to teach grades 8 and 9 work because it was not taught. • No clear focus on content part in grade 9, which form the basics of grade 10 mathematics. • The new curriculum in grade 9 gives emphasis to very few topics. • The level of mathematics that learners are exposed to, in grade 9 is far lower than the one they encounter in grade 10. • No support from parents in terms of doing homework. Finally, the recommendations are made for addressing the difficulties that are experienced by these educators as well as suggestions for further study. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2005.