Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Bruce R. Vogeli. Dissertation Committee: Marcella Lawler. Includes bibliographical references.

Throughout the world governments and other education stakeholders advocate quality education and education for all. Among others, mathematics education is seen by governments as essential in the advancement of the development of countries. Lesotho is no exception in this regard hence mathematics is one of the core subjects in Lesothoâs education system. Though Mathematics education is seen as pivotal to the development of countries, analysis of mathematics Junior Certificate (JC) examination results in Lesotho indicates that performance in mathematics is not good. This study therefore aspired to investigate teaching strategies predominantly employed by primary mathematics teachers and assess their effect on learnersâ meaningful learning of fractions. In order to meet this aim the study attempted to determine what literature said about effective learning and teaching of fractions, the level of training given to mathematics teachers and determine whether effective learning and teaching materialised in the three classrooms that were studied. The existing literature proposed different teaching strategies that resulted in significant learning of fractions. To investigate dominant teaching strategies that teachers used in the teaching of fractions, class observations of three teachers were conducted. Teachers were observed in their classrooms over a period of time and follow-up interviews were conducted. Samples of the teachersâ documents and the learnersâ work were analysed to evaluate the extent to which effective learning and teaching of fractions were taking place in these respective classes. Literature indicates that effective learning, of fractions, entails meaningful construction of the concept through handling of concrete materials and formation of relationship between concepts. Effective teaching on the other hand entails the ability to create situations in which learning is facilitated. Teachers are said to possess both mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in order to be able to teach effectively. In order to fully understand the level of training that the teachers received teacher trainers were interviewed. It was found that teachers did not engage learners in high order reasoning and problem solving, instead they gave close-ended questions which learners answered by practising rules and procedures that teachers taught. Learners therefore did not use their own strategies when writing solutions to questions. It was recommended that teachers should use readily available materials like paper and papers and when planning lessons they should think of possible errors, misconceptions and difficulties that learners were likely to have.

International and national measures point to the poor mathematics achievement of South African learners. The enhancement of the quality of mathematics education is a key priority of the Department of Basic Education in South Africa. Several studies have found a correlation between learner metacognition and mathematics achievement. Metacognition entails knowledge and regulation of oneâs cognitive processes. Previous studies point to the positive effect of metacognitive interventions on learner metacognition and mathematics achievement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a metacognitive intervention (MI) on learner metacognition and the mathematics achievement of Grade 11 learners in the Free State from a predominantly pragmatic perspective. The MI was developed by combining aspects of a mathematical perspective on De Corteâs (1996) educational learning theory with aspects of previous metacognitive intervention studies in mathematics. A mixed methods research design was employed where qualitative data were embedded within a quasi-experiment. Data were collected from an experimental group (N=25) and a control group (N=24). Quantitative data on learner metacognition were obtained from the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), while quantitative data on mathematics achievement were obtained from the learnersâ Terms 1 and 4 report marks. Qualitative data were acquired by means of teacher interviews, problem-solving sessions, and learner and teacher perspectives on the MI process. The mixed methods research question investigated the extent to which the findings from the qualitative phase of the study support the findings from the quantitative phase regarding the effect of MI on learner metacognition and mathematics achievement. The quantitative findings indicated that MI had a statistically significant impact on learner metacognition in respect of the MAI total score, the Knowledge of cognition (KC) factor, the Regulation of cognition (RC) factor, and the subscales Declarative knowledge, Planning, and Monitoring. The impact of MI on mathematics achievement was less pronounced, as inferences had to be drawn from the correlation between learner metacognition and mathematics achievement. The quantitative findings showed a statistically significant correlation between KC and mathematics achievement, as well as between Declarative knowledge and mathematics achievement. Since MI had a statistically significant impact on KC and Declarative knowledge, it is concluded that MI also had a positive impact on mathematics achievement. The qualitative findings strongly support the quantitative findings regarding the positive impact of MI on learner metacognition. The quantitative findings in respect of the correlation between learner metacognition and mathematics achievement were only partially supported by the qualitative data. Main recommendations emerging from this study relate to the improvement of learnersâ mathematics achievement by enhancing their Declarative knowledge, the enhancement of learnersâ problem-solving skills, and the need to implement metacognitive interventions in mathematics particularly in schools where the teachers are inexperienced or underqualified.

<p>This study investigated real life situations which learners in South Korea grade 8-10 learners would prefer to be used in school mathematics. This thesis is based on the ROSMEII (Relevance&nbsp / of School Mathematics Education) questionnaires and interviews, which was used to examine the preferred mathematical learning contexts for South Korean grade 8-10 learners. The study&nbsp / investigates the affective factors that pupils perceive to be of possible relevance for the learning and teaching of mathematic / and is aimed at providing data that might form part of a basis for a&nbsp / local theory of the mathematics curriculum. The standardized ROSMEII survey questionnaire of 23closeended items that relate to some aspects of mathematics on a 4-point Likert-type scale&nbsp / was administered to Korean grade 8-10 learners at the end of compulsory schooling, and mainly 14 to 16 year old cohorts. The data for this study were collected from a sample of 1839 learners drawn from 26 South Korean schools in the year 2009. Interviews were conducted to gauge the pupils&lsquo / preference of the ROSMEII questionnaire contexts and used to validate learners&lsquo / responses. In&nbsp / analyzing their responses, it became clear that, on the average, views expressed were common to all groups of pupils in South Korea (whether male or female, or from the metropolitan, city, or countryside). The clusters of the most preferred mathematical learning contexts are linked to youth culture, which learners are usually and easily engaged with in one way or another. These&nbsp / clusters include the sports, leisure and recreation cluster / planning a journey/popular youth culture cluster the technology cluster / the making of computer games, storing music and videos on&nbsp / CD&lsquo / s and Ipods. The lowest preferred mathematical learning contexts are: an agricultural cluster which focuses on agricultural matters and traditional games (yut). In conclusion, this study&nbsp / suggests that teachers should use contexts that increase learners&lsquo / interest in classroom activities. Therefore mathematics curricula and textbooks which are appropriate to this context must be&nbsp / provided in order to provide more efficient mathematics education. It is imperative that the Korean school system must develop a particular program for nurturing learners&lsquo / mathematical power.&nbsp / Furthermore, mathematics education policy makers must reconsider whether the current education system is appropriate, and also listen to learners&lsquo / preferences when designing appropriate&nbsp / mathematics curriculum and textbooks.</p>

<p>This study investigated real life situations which learners in South Korea grade 8-10 learners would prefer to be used in school mathematics. This thesis is based on the ROSMEII (Relevance&nbsp / of School Mathematics Education) questionnaires and interviews, which was used to examine the preferred mathematical learning contexts for South Korean grade 8-10 learners. The study&nbsp / investigates the affective factors that pupils perceive to be of possible relevance for the learning and teaching of mathematic / and is aimed at providing data that might form part of a basis for a&nbsp / local theory of the mathematics curriculum. The standardized ROSMEII survey questionnaire of 23closeended items that relate to some aspects of mathematics on a 4-point Likert-type scale&nbsp / was administered to Korean grade 8-10 learners at the end of compulsory schooling, and mainly 14 to 16 year old cohorts. The data for this study were collected from a sample of 1839 learners drawn from 26 South Korean schools in the year 2009. Interviews were conducted to gauge the pupils&lsquo / preference of the ROSMEII questionnaire contexts and used to validate learners&lsquo / responses. In&nbsp / analyzing their responses, it became clear that, on the average, views expressed were common to all groups of pupils in South Korea (whether male or female, or from the metropolitan, city, or countryside). The clusters of the most preferred mathematical learning contexts are linked to youth culture, which learners are usually and easily engaged with in one way or another. These&nbsp / clusters include the sports, leisure and recreation cluster / planning a journey/popular youth culture cluster the technology cluster / the making of computer games, storing music and videos on&nbsp / CD&lsquo / s and Ipods. The lowest preferred mathematical learning contexts are: an agricultural cluster which focuses on agricultural matters and traditional games (yut). In conclusion, this study&nbsp / suggests that teachers should use contexts that increase learners&lsquo / interest in classroom activities. Therefore mathematics curricula and textbooks which are appropriate to this context must be&nbsp / provided in order to provide more efficient mathematics education. It is imperative that the Korean school system must develop a particular program for nurturing learners&lsquo / mathematical power.&nbsp / Furthermore, mathematics education policy makers must reconsider whether the current education system is appropriate, and also listen to learners&lsquo / preferences when designing appropriate&nbsp / mathematics curriculum and textbooks.</p>

Various research studies show that the language ability and Mathematics performance of primary school learners are closely related. In South Africa, as is elsewhere, the language issue at schools has always been shifted from the academic battlefield into the political battlefield. The Minister of Education has always been a politician and therefore the current curriculum in SA is politically inspired and do not always address the needs of learners, according to Sedibe (2003). Many primary school learners with an African background are taught in a second language and not in their mother tongue due to the policy of the National Education Department. It is mostly these learners who find it difficult to relate to the language of instruction and the meaning-making of that language in a Mathematical context. The Annual National Assessment (ANA), an initiative of the National Education Department, shows that most of the primary school learners in South Africa are still not on track concerning Numeracy and Literacy skills. Language barriers for learners who are not taught in their mother tongue lead to misunderstanding regarding Mathematical word problems. The interpretation of word problems has throughout the years been a concern of Mathematics teachers, even if the learners were taught in their mother tongue. The purpose of this study was to investigate, by means of a case study, the barriers primary school learners experience with the translation of mathematical word sums into number sentences. Qualitative research was conducted. The study was grounded in the interpretivist paradigm, hence the reasons for the learnersâ problems in converting word problems into number sentences and perations were investigated in real-life situations. Data was collected through observations. Audio-visual material was used. Activities of Grade four learners, from a primary school in the Motheo teaching district of the Free State Province, was recorded audio visually, while being busy with group work. The group work was done in the form of a worksheet, which contained two word problems. The learners had to discuss the word problems in order to compile number sentences. The learners could use any language during their discussions. A Sotho translator translated the discussions into English for analysis purposes. The research findings support the research problem, as it was clear that although learners were presented with word problems in a language other than their mother tongue, they preferred to discuss the content of the word problems in their mother tongue. The main recommendations emerging from this study is that teachers should become more aware of the linguistic issues in learning and teaching Mathematics and must develop tools for talking about language in ways that enable them to engage productively with learners in constructing mathematical knowledge. Teachers in culturally diverse school settings need to develop âtoolsâ to enable learners to understand the mathematical vocabulary better via the language of instruction. The following recommendations regarding these tools can be made. Teachers who teach Mathematics in the foundation phase should compile a Mathematics dictionary as part of their literature studies. These teachers must consult language interpreters in order to find mother tongue words for words that explain mathematical concepts. These words should be repeated regularly throughout their contact time with the learners, even if it is not the Mathematics period. The Mathematical concepts and content must be carried over to non-mother tongue learners in such a way that they can identify the context of their everyday lives in it. Only then will the learners make meaning of word problems and will they be able to compile numbers sentences from the word problem in order to carry out the correct Mathematical operations.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Dawn Berk, School of Education. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.T.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2009. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Jakubowski, Florida State University, College of Education, Dept. of Middle and Secondary Education. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 22, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio University, June, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-104).