Worldwide, people who are unable to study full-time at residential higher education institutions choose
distance education as their mode of study. Such students who are mostly employed adults with
multiple responsibilities face many challenges in the process. Students majoring in Mathematics often
struggle to master the mathematics content of the major modules and therefore have to attempt the
examination several times. The UODL at the Potchefstroom campus of the NWU incorporated IWBs
as learning technology in order to improve the communication and support to their students. This
study aims to determine how scaffolding of mathematics concepts can be facilitated via IWBs in order
to enhance the learning experience of teacher-students towards their understanding of the
fundamental principles of mathematics.
The study is based on the Stoner model for implementing ICT learning technologies and the focus of
the study relates specifically to the design integration phase of the Stoner cycle.
The population for the study consisted of all OLG teacher-students who were registered for NWPK
512—a mathematics major module within the ACE programme. A group of ten participants attending
at the White River centre and a control group of ten participants from another centre were used during
the study. The study followed a mixed-method research design and was performed according to a
Kirkpatrick evaluation for training programmes which involves evaluation on five different levels,
namely reaction, perception whether learning occurred, change in behaviour, results and return on
investment.
The qualitative data were analysed through ATLAS.ti ™ augmented with descriptive statistical
techniques. Descriptive statistical techniques and effect sizes were calculated to analyse the
quantitative data. Reliability and validity of the instrument were calculated. Findings of the study
indicated that scaffolding of mathematical concepts via IWBs enhanced students’ understanding of the
fundamental concepts of mathematics. The group of participants performed significantly better after
they have attended the scaffolding IWB sessions.
The introduction to and incorporation of scaffolds for learning mathematics over distance can create
an environment of effective mathematics education for all teacher-students as well as for the students
in their respective classrooms. / MEd (Curriculum Development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/15193 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Dreyer, Hermina Hendrina |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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