D.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) / This study investigated the impact of mathematics interventions on learner participation and performance in mathematics within Gauteng 47 high schools in the Johannesburg area over a five year period. Motivating the study was the perpetual implementation of mathematics interventions against the backdrop of persistent mediocrity in learner matriculation achievement in this subject. The essence of the research problem was the scarcity of knowledge relating to the effectiveness and impact of mathematics interventions. The strategy of inquiry employed was an explanatory research design which entailed a sequential collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative findings revealed that only 10% of learners who participated in interventions were enabled to enroll in mathematics essential to pursue mathematics related professions at tertiary level. Thus, the intention to redress the prevalent limited access to professional careers requiring a strong basis in mathematics has not been dented. Regarding learner performance in mathematics, Friedman tests for nonparametric hypothesis testing revealed that there was no significant evidence that the interventions had an impact on learner performance over the five year observation period. Qualitative data analysis explained the quantitative findings and further uncovered the positive impact of mathematics interventions. Furthermore, strengths and weaknesses of the mathematics interventions were identified as opposed to the quantitative findings which seemed to negate the existence of the impact of mathematics interventions. Through the findings of this study, factors that may be limiting the effectiveness of mathematics interventions were uncovered. These were interwoven into a base knowledge that can influence positive practices and future research related to optimizing the impact of mathematics interventions in high schools.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:12191 |
| Date | 01 September 2014 |
| Creators | Mkhize, Duduzile Rosemary |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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