The main purpose of this study is to inquire, from a didactical perspective, into the
question of teaching mathematics for mathematical literacy in secondary and high
schools in the district of Maseru, Lesotho. In the study, mathematical literacy and
didactical practices relating to mathematics are viewed as related variables that
directly impact upon each other. In order to appropriately place the concept of
didactical practices in school mathematics education, the study engages support from
literature to explore a range of related areas in mathematics education and in
mathematical literacy. These areas include, amongst other factors, aspects such as:
the position of mathematics in education, the role, meaning and neighbours of
mathematics education, and the psychological theories and philosophies that
influence trends in didactical practices related to mathematics.
In the study, mathematical literacy itself is defined from different perspectives. In the
light of these definitions, the study views mathematical literacy as the individualâs
aggregate of mathematical skills and knowledge that empowers the individual to
participate meaningfully and make well-founded mathematical judgements in a
society that is imbued with technology.
Didactical practices and the nature of mathematics that are purported to inculcate
mathematical literacy in learners are discussed, in the study, to serve as a premise on
which the teaching of mathematics, for mathematical literacy in secondary and high
schools in the district of Maseru, is investigated.
The investigation itself seeks to establish the current didactical practices relating to
mathematics, which are employed in secondary and high schools in the district of
Maseru, Lesotho, and to determine the extent to which these didactical practices
correspond to and correlate with indicators of teaching mathematics for
mathematical literacy. The study further examines whether the nature (content,
objectives, and recommended didactical practices relating to mathematics) of the
mathematics curriculum offered in the district of Maseru, concurs with that
recommended in literature on teaching mathematics for mathematical literacy.
In conclusion, the investigations of the study culminate in assessing which didactical
practices relating to mathematics still need to be improved, embraced, or redefined. Recommendations based on the findings of the study include: the use of open-ended
problem solving techniques, real-life problem investigations, and the use of projects
as a didactical approach. Other recommendations are: themes across the school
curriculum should be unified, real-life data should be used in statistics and
probability, and mathematics problems should encompass actual, real-life problems
rather than contrived problems related to real life situations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufs/oai:etd.uovs.ac.za:etd-09132006-092903 |
| Date | 13 September 2006 |
| Creators | Mavugara-Shava, Fungai Munashe |
| Contributors | Prof GF du Toit |
| Publisher | University of the Free State |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en-uk |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-09132006-092903/restricted/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University Free State or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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