ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
&apos;Eighteen Hands High&apos;: A Narrative Reading of &quot;Animal Farm&quot; from a Mathematical Perspective
Author: Mwale, Liveness
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Novels,Mathematics Instruction,High School Students,Foreign Countries,Educational Practices,Reading Processes,Mathematics,Learning Processes,Teaching Methods,Student Attitudes,English Literature,Public Schools,Correlation

This article addresses the interconnection between two education practices: reading and mathematics. These are two common aspects of schooling. Learners engage with these critical practices, regularly. There hardly goes a day in the life of schoolgoing children without them engaging in these two practices in one form or another. However, the point of this article is to examine how these two practices come together in activities of learning mathematics, and seeing mathematical ideas within the context of reading texts that may be considered non-mathematical. The question we address is: to what extent are high school mathematics learners able to see mathematics in non-mathematical reading texts? We examine this question based on an analysis of research project data collected from South African high school learners' interactions with &quot;Animal Farm,&quot; one of the 2015 Grade 10-12 South African English Home Language literature books. The learners were drawn from five schools in three provinces, namely Limpopo, Gauteng and Eastern Cape. In the first phase of data collection, 430 Grade 10-12 learners were purposively sampled to participate in the study. In the second and third phases of the study, 100 out of the 430 learners were purposively sampled. These were learners who had read &quot;Animal Farm&quot; before the time of data collection. Based on our analysis, we argue that high school mathematics learning and teaching do not adequately prepare learners to be able to see mathematics in spaces that may be isolated from traditional environments in which learners learn mathematics.
The Concepts of Area and Perimeter: Insights and Misconceptions of Grade 10 Learners
Author: Machaba, France M.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Grade 10,Secondary School Mathematics,Mathematics Instruction,Geometric Concepts,Misconceptions,Problem Solving,Secondary School Students,Mathematics Teachers,Multiplication,Mathematics Tests,Correlation

This article focuses on learners' understanding and their descriptions of the concepts of area and perimeter, how learners solve problems involving area and perimeter and the relationship between them and misconceptions, and the causes of these misconceptions as revealed by learners when solving these problems. A written test was administered to 30 learners and clinical interviews were conducted with three of these learners, selected based on their responses in the test. This article shows that learners lack a conceptual understanding of area and they do not know what a perimeter is. Learners also hold misconceptions about the relationship between area and perimeter. It appears that inadequate prior knowledge of area and perimeter is the root cause of these misconceptions. This article provides suggestions on how to deal with the concepts of area and perimeter.
Where Is the Bigger Picture in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics?
Author: Maoto, Satsope
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Instruction,Grade 11,Secondary School Mathematics,Mathematics Teachers,High School Students,High School Teachers,Mathematics

This article presents an interpretive analysis of three different mathematics teaching cases to establish where the bigger picture should lie in the teaching and learning of mathematics. We use pre-existing data collected through pre-observation and post-observation interviews and passive classroom observation undertaken by the third author in two different Grade 11 classes taught by two different teachers at one high school. Another set of data was collected through participant observation of the second author's Year 2 University class. We analyse the presence or absence of the bigger picture, especially, in the teachers' questioning strategies and their approach to content, guided by Tall's framework of &quot;three worlds of mathematics,&quot; namely the 'conceptual-embodied' world, the 'proceptual-symbolic' world and the 'axiomatic-formal' world. Within this broad framework we acknowledge Pirie and Kieren's notion of &quot;folding back&quot; towards the attainment of an axiomatic-formal world. We argue that the teaching and learning of mathematics should remain anchored in the bigger picture and, in that way, mathematics is meaningful, accessible, expandable and transferable.
Differences in the Quality of School-Based Assessment: Evidence in Grade 9 Mathematics Achievement
Author: van Staden, Surette
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Evidence,Grade 9,Mathematics Instruction,Differences,Mathematics Achievement,Foreign Countries,Curriculum Based Assessment,Mathematics Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Secondary School Students

This non-experimental, exploratory and descriptive study, using a qualitative case study approach, aims to investigate whether there is evidence of variance in the quality of school-based assessment (SBA) in Grade 9 mathematics. Participants were purposefully selected from five schools in a district in the Northern Cape in South Africa. After questionnaires were completed, individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from the participating schools. Documents were collected and analysed to corroborate or contradict data from the questionnaires and interviews. Lack of adherence to policy, variation in classroom practice and inconsistent monitoring and moderation practices were identified as themes of possible sources of variation in SBA. An analysis of the interviews and document analysis revealed that most of the Heads of Department and principals lacked in-depth knowledge and understanding of their roles and functions in making SBA reliable, credible and valid. This was not only due to a lack of capacity to perform such functions, but was also due to a lack of effective induction and training by the district and provincial offices. Findings from the current study point to the necessary role that a periodic evaluation of SBA may play to ensure its effectiveness, credibility and reliability as part of successful assessment practices in a mostly developing context.
Students Who Have Unsuccessfully Studied in the Past -- Analysis of Causes
Author: Mazouch, Petr
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Attainment,Higher Education,Dropouts,Reentry Students,Decision Making,Majors (Students),College Choice,Gender Differences,Health,Disadvantaged,At Risk Students,Identification,Academic Failure,Foreign Countries,Human Capital,Student Characteristics,Student Attitudes,Family Characteristics,Social Status,Student Surveys

With the increase in the number of university students, the number of those who do not finish successfully the tertiary education is also increasing. The article uses a specific data source and analyses only a part of the group of unsuccessful students who re-enroll. This is a specific group of students - they did not finish the tertiary study in the past, but after some time they returned to education. The aim of the paper is to find significant factors that influence the decision whether the student changes the studied school or field of study. Factors will be searched using decision trees and binary logistic regression. Both methods were significant for gender and the fact that a student is studying his preferred university. Logistic regression adds to the student's health disadvantage. The data were obtained from the EUROSTUDENT survey, which was held in the Czech Republic in 2016 under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The results can be used to identify a risky candidate or student at the beginning of tertiary education.
Exploring Teachers&apos; Use of Technology in Teaching and Learning Mathematics in Kwazulu-Natal Schools
Author: Umugiraneza, Odette
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Teachers,Technology Uses in Education,Foreign Countries,Technology Integration,Calculators,Information Technology,Elementary School Mathematics,Middle School Mathematics,Secondary School Mathematics

It is often claimed that technology can be used as a tool that can facilitate teaching and learning and contribute to learners' achievement. This article reports on a study about how KwaZulu-Natal mathematics teachers use, access and integrate technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics. A questionnaire containing closed and Likert scale questions regarding the use of technology, was distributed to 75 KwaZulu-Natal mathematics teachers. The findings reveal that the technology used most commonly by the group for teaching mathematics is calculators. Almost all the teachers reported that they never use computers in their teaching of mathematics. Although the teachers reported that they do not use computers in teaching and learning, about 80% of the participants conveyed a positive view that using technology improves learners' understanding of mathematics. The findings further indicate that the teachers' propensity to use technology in instructional practice is associated with demographic factors related to teaching experience, gender, level of study and participation in professional learning activities. The study also showed that teachers who have access to internet instructional resources have higher levels of confidence in teaching mathematics and hold broader beliefs about the nature of mathematics and the aims of teaching mathematics than the teachers who do not use the internet for instructional purposes.
Mathematical Sense-Making through Learner Choice
Author: Biccard, Piera
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Instruction,Comprehension,Mathematics Activities,Mathematical Models,Mathematics Teachers,Word Problems (Mathematics),Problem Solving

This article explores a conceptual relationship between learner choice and mathematical sense-making. It argues that when learners can exercise choice in their mathematical activities, mathematical sense-making can be enhanced. The literature around mathematical modelling suggests a link between sense-making and learner choice. A three-tiered conceptual analysis allowed 'purposiveness to thinking' from the author through engagement with selected literature. Research questions related to a three-tiered analysis: generic, context-specific, and conditional accounts of sense-making in mathematics classrooms were formulated. The analysis resulted in a framework showing how sense-making may be constrained or enhanced in mathematics classrooms through learner choice. This article may add to our holistic understanding of sense-making in mathematics classrooms. It may contribute to mathematics teacher education by proposing that teachers are resourced to facilitate learners' conceptual and procedural choice in primary or secondary mathematics classrooms.
Engaging with Learners&apos; Errors When Teaching Mathematics
Author: Sapire, Ingrid
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learner Engagement,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Error Patterns,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Teachers,Misconceptions,Mathematical Concepts,Formative Evaluation

Teachers come across errors not only in tests but also in their mathematics classrooms virtually every day. When they respond to learners' errors in their classrooms, during or after teaching, teachers are actively carrying out formative assessment. In South Africa the Annual National Assessment, a written test under the auspices of the Department of Basic Education, requires that teachers use learner data diagnostically. This places a new and complex cognitive demand on teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. We argue that teachers' involvement in, and application of, error analysis is an integral aspect of teacher knowledge. The Data Informed Practice Improvement Project was one of the first attempts in South Africa to include teachers in a systematic process of interpretation of learners' performance data. In this article we analyse video data of teachers' engagement with errors during interactions with learners in their classrooms and in one-on-one interviews with learners (17 lessons and 13 interviews). The schema of teachers' knowledge of error analysis and the complexity of its application are discussed in relation to Ball's domains of knowledge and Hugo's explanation of the relation between cognitive and pedagogical loads. The analysis suggests that diagnostic assessment requires teachers to focus their attention on the germane load of the task and this in turn requires awareness of error and the use of specific probing questions in relation to learners' diagnostic reasoning. Quantitative and qualitative data findings show the difficulty of this activity. For the 62 teachers who took part in this project, the demands made by diagnostic assessment exceeded their capacity, resulting in many instances (mainly in the classroom) where teachers ignored learners' errors or dealt with them partially.
Educating Grade 6 Students for Higher-Order Thinking and Its Influence on Creativity
Author: Daher, Wajeeh
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Instruction,Grade 6,Thinking Skills,Creativity,Critical Thinking,Creative Thinking,Mathematics Achievement,Mathematics Teachers,Elementary School Students,Elementary School Mathematics,Foreign Countries,Experimental Groups,Control Groups

Educating students for higher-order thinking provides them with tools that turn them into more critical thinkers. This supports them in overcoming life problems that they encounter, as well as becoming an integral part of the society. This students' education is attended to by educational organisations that emphasise the positive consequences of educating students for higher-order thinking, including creative thinking. One way to do that is through educational programmes that educate for higher-order thinking. One such programme is the Cognitive Research Trust (CoRT) thinking programme. The present research intended to examine the effect of the participation of Grade 6 students in a CoRT programme on their creative thinking. Fifty-three students participated in the research; 27 participated in a CoRT programme, while 26 did not participate in such programme. The ANCOVA test showed that the students who participated in the CoRT programme outperformed significantly, in creative thinking, the students who did not. Moreover, the students in the CoRT programme whose achievement scores were between 86 and 100 outperformed significantly the other achievement groups of students. Furthermore, students with reported high ability outperformed significantly the other ability groups of students. The results did not show statistically significant differences in students' creativity attributed to gender.
Beyond Test Scores: A Framework for Reporting Mathematics Assessment Results to Enhance Teaching and Learning
Author: Moloi, Meshack
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Scores,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Tests,Foreign Countries,National Competency Tests,Mathematics,Summative Evaluation,Formative Evaluation,Mathematics Achievement,Models

In this article we propose a framework for reporting mathematics results from national assessment surveys (NAS) such that effective use of the resulting reports can enhance teaching and learning. We explored literature on factors that may contribute to non-utilisation of assessment data as a basis for decision-making. In the context of South Africa, we identified the form and formats in which results of NAS are reported as a possible limiting factor to the effective use of summative assessment results for formative purposes. As an alternative, we propose a standards-based reporting framework that will ensure accurate measurement of, and meaningful feedback on, what learners know and can do. We illustrate how, within a properly designed reporting framework, the results of a NAS in mathematics can be used for formative purposes to enhance teaching and learning and, possibly, improve learner performance.
How Does the Grade Obtained at School for English and Mathematics Affect the Probability of Graduation at a University?
Author: Murray, Michael
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grades (Scholastic),Gender Differences,Mathematics Achievement,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Graduation,Correlation,Language Skills,Race,Institutional Characteristics,Dropouts,Blacks,Structural Equation Models,Literacy,Language Proficiency,Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries

Over half of all students enrolling at a particular university in KwaZulu-Natal fail to complete a degree. This article aims to determine to what extent the marks they obtain for English and Mathematics at school impact on their probability of graduation at this university. In addressing this problem, other student specific factors associated with their gender, race and the type of school they attended need also to be properly accounted for. To provide answers for this study, the performance of 24 392 students enrolling at the university over the period 2004 to 2012 was followed until they graduated or dropped out from their studies. A structural equation model was fitted because it allows one to separate a direct effect from that of an indirect effect. Gender, race and school background were found to be very significant with men, Black Africans and students coming from a less privileged school background having a smaller probability associated with eventually graduating from this university. Men tend to perform better than women in Mathematics, with women performing better men in English. More importantly, however, a single percentage point increase in one's mark for English increases the probability associated with graduating from this university far more than would be the case if their Mathematics mark were to increase by a single percentage point. In light of these mediated results, perhaps this university should be directing their efforts more towards improving the English (rather than mathematical) literacy of students entering the university.
Affordances for Learning Linear Functions: A Comparative Study of Two Textbooks from South Africa and Germany
Author: Mellor, Kathryn
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Instruction,Algebra,Mathematical Concepts,Problem Solving,Comparative Education,Foreign Countries,Textbooks,Mathematics,Secondary School Mathematics,Mathematics Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Grade 10,Grade 9

Textbook content has the ability to influence mathematical learning. This study compares how linear functions are presented in two textbooks, one of South African and the other of German origin. These two textbooks are used in different language-based streams in a school in Gauteng, South Africa. A qualitative content analysis on how the topic of linear functions is presented in these two textbooks was done. The interplay between procedural and conceptual knowledge, the integration of the multiple representations of functions, and the links created to other mathematical content areas and the real world were considered. It was found that the German textbook included a higher percentage of content that promoted the development of conceptual knowledge. This was especially due to the level of cognitive demand of tasks included in the analysed textbook chapters. Also, while the South African textbook presented a wider range of opportunities to interact with the different representations of functions, the German textbook, on the other hand, included more links to the real world. Both textbooks linked 'functions' to other mathematical content areas, although the German textbook included a wider range of linked topics. It was concluded that learners from the two streams are thus exposed to different affordances to learn mathematics by their textbooks.
Mentoring as Professional Development Intervention for Mathematics Teachers: A South African Perspective
Author: Nel, Benita
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mentors,Faculty Development,Intervention,Mathematics Teachers,Mathematics Instruction,Foreign Countries,Observation,Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Only a small percentage of mathematics teacher professional development activities in South Africa include pedagogy and instruction approaches required to teach the content. In the light of the poor mathematics results, it is of pertinent importance that teachers need to be developed in terms of the mathematics they teach and the pedagogical component of it. A teachers' professional development programme that used mentoring as one of the interventions was investigated where the mentor conducted classroom observations and had post--observation conferences with the teachers. The data from the observations, post observation conferences and interviews of both the mentors and the mathematics teachers was used to inform the off-site workshops on mathematics content and the instructional skills required to effectively teach the content. Mentoring supported the teachers in terms of mathematics content and instruction, team teaching and lesson preparation. The teachers' individual content and instructional needs were also assessed and supported. The study revealed that mentoring that takes cognisance of teachers' content and instructional needs enhanced their lesson preparation and understanding of mathematics as well as the skills required to teach it effectively. The study recommends mentoring as an effective intervention in professional development programmes especially when it is informed by the teachers' instructional and content needs.
The Development of a Professional Development Intervention for Mathematical Problem-Solving Pedagogy in a Localised Context
Author: Chirinda, Brantina
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Faculty Development,Intervention,Problem Solving,Mathematics Instruction,Foreign Countries,Secondary School Students,Secondary School Teachers,Secondary School Mathematics,Mathematics Teachers,Grade 9,Research Design

This article reports on the design and findings of the first iteration of a classroom-based design research project which endeavours to design a professional development intervention for teachers' mathematical problem-solving pedagogy. The major outcome of this study is the generation of design principles that can be used by other researchers developing a professional development (PD) intervention for mathematical problem-solving pedagogy. This study contributes to the mathematical problem-solving pedagogy and PD body of knowledge by working with teachers in an under-researched environment (an informal settlement in Gauteng, South Africa). In this iteration, two experienced Grade 9 mathematics teachers and their learners at a public secondary school in Gauteng, South Africa, participated in a 6-month intervention. Findings from the data are discussed in light of their implications for the next cycle and other PD studies.