Thesis (M.A.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2007. / "May, 2007." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-53). Online version available on the World Wide Web. Library also has microfilm. Ann Arbor, Mich. : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [2007]. 1 microfilm reel ; 35 mm.

This study explored and evaluated the prevalence of supplementary tuition in the teaching and learning of Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy in some high-performing schools of the East London district in the Eastern Cape. The study followed a descriptive survey design to address the research problem. Data were gathered using questionnaires for grade 11 learners and high school Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy teachers. The learners were the first group to be taught the Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy learning programme of the new National Curriculum Statement (NCS). The results showed that a fair number of learners (about 48%) were not satisfied with their performance in Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy and a large number of the learners (about 90%) considered a good pass in Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy as important, particularly for their future careers. A substantial proportion of learners (42%) expressed concern about the amount of school time allocated to Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy, and thought that this factor hampered the successful completion of the syllabus. Teachers who happened to be adequately qualified and experienced enough, struggled to complete the Grade 11 Mathematics syllabus in time and were concerned about misconceptions carried from lower classes. Teachers also expressed some concern about learners' lack of commitment to Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy. Learners seemingly took supplementary tuition as a way of overcoming their learning challenges. Of the three forms of supplementary tuition (i.e. private tuition, vacation classes and revising model/former examination papers) commonly available in the district, revising examination papers was preferred (about 83%) followed by private tuition at 81% and lastly vacation school. Learners spent 1.67 hours per week on average on supplementary tuition. More Mathematics learners (about 34%) than Mathematical Literacy learners (about 6%) make use of supplementary tuition. Based on these findings, it was concluded that supplementary tuition is not unique to schools that perform poorly, and even at high performing schools, factors exist which influence learners to take supplementary tuition. / MATH, SCIENCE & TECH EDU / MSC (MATHS,SCIENCE OR T/EDU)

This study explored and evaluated the prevalence of supplementary tuition in the teaching and learning of Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy in some high-performing schools of the East London district in the Eastern Cape. The study followed a descriptive survey design to address the research problem. Data were gathered using questionnaires for grade 11 learners and high school Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy teachers. The learners were the first group to be taught the Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy learning programme of the new National Curriculum Statement (NCS). The results showed that a fair number of learners (about 48%) were not satisfied with their performance in Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy and a large number of the learners (about 90%) considered a good pass in Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy as important, particularly for their future careers. A substantial proportion of learners (42%) expressed concern about the amount of school time allocated to Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy, and thought that this factor hampered the successful completion of the syllabus. Teachers who happened to be adequately qualified and experienced enough, struggled to complete the Grade 11 Mathematics syllabus in time and were concerned about misconceptions carried from lower classes. Teachers also expressed some concern about learners' lack of commitment to Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy. Learners seemingly took supplementary tuition as a way of overcoming their learning challenges. Of the three forms of supplementary tuition (i.e. private tuition, vacation classes and revising model/former examination papers) commonly available in the district, revising examination papers was preferred (about 83%) followed by private tuition at 81% and lastly vacation school. Learners spent 1.67 hours per week on average on supplementary tuition. More Mathematics learners (about 34%) than Mathematical Literacy learners (about 6%) make use of supplementary tuition. Based on these findings, it was concluded that supplementary tuition is not unique to schools that perform poorly, and even at high performing schools, factors exist which influence learners to take supplementary tuition. / MATH, SCIENCE and TECH EDU / MSC (MATHS,SCIENCE OR T/EDU)

Submitted by Geandra Rodrigues (geandrar@gmail.com) on 2018-05-03T13:23:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 vandadelourdessantos.pdf: 1574100 bytes, checksum: 4956f307feeaaa101864605902d3370b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2018-05-07T15:39:45Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 vandadelourdessantos.pdf: 1574100 bytes, checksum: 4956f307feeaaa101864605902d3370b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-07T15:39:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 vandadelourdessantos.pdf: 1574100 bytes, checksum: 4956f307feeaaa101864605902d3370b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-14 / A presente dissertação foi desenvolvida no âmbito do Mestrado Profissional em Gestão e Avaliação da Educação (PPGP) do Centro de Políticas Públicas e Avaliação da Educação da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (CAEd/UFJF). O caso de gestão estudado discute o baixo desempenho dos alunos do 3º ano do Ensino Médio, em Matemática, no SIMAVE/PROEB, em uma escola estadual de um município do interior de Minas Gerais. Os objetivos definidos para este estudo foram: I) descrever o funcionamento da escola, tendo como foco as ações desenvolvidas pela equipe gestora, no que compete ao desempenho dos alunos do Ensino Médio; II) analisar como são desenvolvidas essas ações, focalizando também o processo de apropriação de resultados e as intervenções resultantes dessa apropriação; III) propor plano de ação educacional que possa contribuir com a equipe gestora para minimizar o problema do baixo desempenho. Assumimos como hipóteses que o baixo desempenho em Matemática precisa ser analisado a partir de continuidades e descontinuidades de ações gestoras, associando tais análises a diferentes variáveis que constituem o universo investigado. Entendemos que a ausência de uma ação gestora que articule o trabalho coletivo, viabilizando uma prática docente associada à proposta curricular do estado, e, ainda, a ausência de ações específicas na disciplina de Matemática possam estar corroborando para a manutenção do quadro de fracasso escolar. Para tanto, escolhemos a pesquisa qualitativa como metodologia, sendo utilizados como instrumentos metodológicos a pesquisa documental, a entrevista e o grupo focal, com o intuito de melhor compreender ações de apropriação de resultados e gestão de resultados. Na mesma medida, buscamos investigar a interferência da constatação da manutenção de quadros de baixo desempenho na dinâmica da escola na visão do gestor e na visão dos professores. A partir disso, identificamos lacunas no processo de apropriação de resultados, a ausência do trabalho colaborativo e interdisciplinar, a desarticulação do currículo e o distanciamento das famílias. No plano de ação sugerimos estudo do currículo, o preenchimento das lacunas na apropriação de resultados das avaliações externas, o planejamento interdisciplinar e o trabalho de integração das famílias nas atividades extraclasse da escola. / This present work was developed under the Professional Master Degree in Management and Public Education Evaluation (PPGP) of the Centre for Public Policy and the Education Evaluation Centre of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (CAED/UFJF). The management case to be studied evaluates the low performance of students from the 3rd grade of a high school in the SIMAVE/PROEB tests, in mathematics, in a small city in the Minas Gerais state. The objectives defined for these studies were: I) describe the school working environment, having in focus the actions developed by the managing team, in terms which concerns the students‘ performance in high school; II) analyse how those actions are developed, also focusing in the process of appropriation of results and the interventions which resulted of that appropriation; III) propose an educational action plan that can contribute with the managing team, in the actions to minimize the problem of low performance. It was taken as hypothesis that the low performance in Mathematics needs to be analysed from the point of view that the management actions suffered breaks of continuation and discontinuation, and associating those analyses to different variables that comprises the environment investigated. It was understood that the lack of a management‘s action which promotes a collective work, facilitating the teaching practice associated to the proposed curriculum by the State, and, still, the lack of actions, specific to the Mathematics subject, could be contributing to maintain the continuous framework of the school performance failure. Therefore, it was chosen the qualitative research as a methodology, the research in a documental basis, the group in focus, and a semi-structured interview with the school manager, the high school Mathematics teacher and with the Mathematics teacher of the last years of the high school period, as instruments to collect data with the objective to better understand the actions taken after the results appropriation and the management of these results. It was also investigated how this confirmation of maintaining the same framework of low performance, interfered in the school dynamic in the teachers and management‘s view. As a consequence, there were gaps in the process of appropriation of results, lack of a collaborative work and cross-disciplinary, the curriculum disarticulation and the disassociation of families. Therefore, the Action Plan presented, proposed the study of the curriculum, closing those gaps in the appropriation of results, the proper planning of cross-disciplinary and the work of integrating the families in the after-class activities of the school.

Doctor Educationis / This study investigates how two groups of African pupils, namely the low and high performers in standard 9 mathematics classes in some high schools in Mangaung, construct meaning of their African cultural, individual African identity and performance in mathematics respectively. The observation underpinning this investigation is that social structural factors have not gained much attention in research as bases for explaining differentiated performance in mathematics, hence this study. To arrive at the findings mentioned below, the study used three quantitative instruments namely Mboya's Self-Description Inventory II (MSDI-II), Rotter's I-E scale and Tuekman's Mathematics Attitude Scale (MAS). Four hundred pupils who constituted the sample that responded to these questionnaires were controlled as to confounding variables like, gender, social class, exposure to mathematics and future aspirations relating to this subject. MSDI-II and Rotter's I-E Scale accessed data relating to signification of African individual identity while MAS and one of MSDI-Il's subscale, Maths Ability were 'triangulated' to access data relating to signification of performance in Mathematics. To triangulate findings on these two variables as well as to allow the sampled pupils' voices to be heard, discourse analysis was conducted on the open interviews with the two groups of low and high performing pupils in their respective schools. This qualitative approach also enabled the study to access information relating to signification of African Cultural Identity. No quantitative instrument was found suitable for this purpose. Although the study is careful not to make strong causal inferences between meaning construction (signification) and performance, the results show that (i) low performers are not sure about whether they are Africans or not since according to them African cultural identity implies an obsolete and primitive way of doing things. They are unable to identify with this. High performers see African Cultural Identity as involving lived experiences which challenge them to transform their despised status as Africans (ii) Low performers are not as positive as high performers about Africanness (individual identity) and (iii) they are also not positively inclined towards mathematics and their own ability to perform well therein, while high performers are very positive as they see doing well in mathematics as an act of struggle that would enable them to improve their social standing and that of other Africans. On the basis of the above the study is able to conclude that low performers construct meaning of the mentioned factors in agreement with the dominant discourses that see Africanness as being primitive, incompetent and unable to adequately comprehend the intricacies of modem day subjects like mathematics. High performers on the other hand tend to contest this negative definitions about what it means to be an African (identity, culture and performance in mathematics). They are thus positioned within counter-hegemonic ideology and discourses in as far as their meaning construction is concerned. Grounded on the above findings and conclusions, the study recommends that efforts should not be spared to enable the low performers (and/or pupils at risk of failing) to adopt positive meaning making strategies of high performers. These strategies may be accompanied by enhanced positive feelings about self and what one is capable of, which may in tum also impact positively on performance in mathematics, in particular. The research further argues that this goal may be achieved through curriculum enrichment, guidance, counselling and teaching, couched in the framework of African Renaissance. Therefore further research needs to be conducted that will elaborate clearly (i) what the implications of African Renaissance are on education, teaching, learning and mathematics curriculum in particular, (ii) what are the most effective means of transferring high performers' strategies of meaning construction to the low performers in the context of African Renaissance and (iii) how to strengthen and further sustain the positive meaning making strategies among high performers. Recommendations relating to curriculum enrichment in the context of Curriculum 2005 and Outcomes Based Counselling are also made as well as suggestions for future relevant research based on the concepts generated in this research.

The aim of this study was to identify types of behaviour manifested by learners during mathematics instruction, and the impact that this behaviour might have on the mathematics performance of learners. The study was conducted in Far East cluster of Johannesburg East District, in the province of Gauteng, South Africa. At the time of the study the Far East cluster of Johannesburg East District consisted of a population of seven public high schools, of which two schools were randomly sampled to participate in the study. Participants consisted of (n=10) Grade 10 mathematics learners, 2 mathematics teachers and 2 heads of mathematics departments (HODs). Data from learners were collected using a set of their assessment scores accumulated over a period of six months, that is, from January 2014 to June 2014 (Section 1.3.3). Also, semi-structured interviews were carried out with learners to determine types of classroom behaviour they perceived to influence their mathematical performance. The aim of documenting learners‟ assessment scores (document analysis) was to determine their average performance in Grade 10 mathematics over a stipulated period. Teachers and HODs completed questionnaires to identify types of classroom behaviour that learners manifested during mathematics instruction. The study followed a qualitative approach with phenomenology research design (Section 3.2). The study identified several types of classroom behaviour that characterized mathematics instruction in both schools, such as making noise and not doing classwork and homework activities. In addition, the study established that forms of behavioural patterns that are manifested by learners during a mathematics instruction influenced their performance in the subject. Huitt‟s (1997) model was used to conceptualize and interpret the results. / Mathematics Education / M. Ed. (Mathematics Education)

The aim of this study was to identify types of behaviour manifested by learners during mathematics instruction, and the impact that this behaviour might have on the mathematics performance of learners. The study was conducted in Far East cluster of Johannesburg East District, in the province of Gauteng, South Africa. At the time of the study the Far East cluster of Johannesburg East District consisted of a population of seven public high schools, of which two schools were randomly sampled to participate in the study. Participants consisted of (n=10) Grade 10 mathematics learners, 2 mathematics teachers and 2 heads of mathematics departments (HODs). Data from learners were collected using a set of their assessment scores accumulated over a period of six months, that is, from January 2014 to June 2014 (Section 1.3.3). Also, semi-structured interviews were carried out with learners to determine types of classroom behaviour they perceived to influence their mathematical performance. The aim of documenting learners‟ assessment scores (document analysis) was to determine their average performance in Grade 10 mathematics over a stipulated period. Teachers and HODs completed questionnaires to identify types of classroom behaviour that learners manifested during mathematics instruction. The study followed a qualitative approach with phenomenology research design (Section 3.2). The study identified several types of classroom behaviour that characterized mathematics instruction in both schools, such as making noise and not doing classwork and homework activities. In addition, the study established that forms of behavioural patterns that are manifested by learners during a mathematics instruction influenced their performance in the subject. Huitt‟s (1997) model was used to conceptualize and interpret the results. / Mathematics Education / M. Ed. (Mathematics Education)