- Home
- A-Z Publications
- African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education

E-ISSN: 2469-7656
This publication that is hosted on Sabinet African Journals is only available to sub-Saharan countries.
The editorial policy of the African Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education is to disseminate, as widely as possible, high quality research findings and well written articles on theory and practice in science, mathematics and technology education. Articles that promote the understanding of curricular policy and diverse socio-cultural issues and those which stimulate epistemological and methodological debates are welcome.
This journal continues Journal of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education
Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
---|---|
Frequency | Tri-annually |
Coverage | Vol 6 2002 - current |
Accreditation(s) |
Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) |
Language | English |
Journal Status | Active |
Collection(s) |
-
-
Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy on the career podium – sharing gold?
This article presents balanced views of Mathematical Literacy (ML) and Mathematics (M), from both an analytical perspective and the subjective perspectives of teachers and learners. From the analytical perspective, policy documents and the literature spanning the period from the inception of ML to date are reviewed. Glimpses into the subjective views of teacher and learners come from a case study that involved interviewing a teacher and her learners with a view to understanding how Grade 10 learners and their teacher compared not only the nature of the two subjects but also the teaching and learning strategies associated with M and ML. Our case study confirms to a great extent the sentiments of the researchers, this time from the raw and uncensored views of those teaching and learning the subjects. Triangulating our exploration, we integrate policy, research and experience to redefine the nature, interconnectedness and equal standing of ML and M. In the light of the argument presented, the perceived existing boundaries between M and ML are challenged. The purpose is not to pull down the image and value of M, but to raise the popular image and perceived value of ML to the level of a dignified partner in the mathematics education gallery. We want to advocate the opening of higher educational courses and subsequent career pathways exclusively requiring ML as a prerequisite, justified on basis of the superior problem-solving and other valuable capabilities nurtured within our conceptualisation of the funds of knowledge associated with ML.
-
-
-
University science students’ reasons for assigning truth or falsity to conditional statements
The use of logic is an integral part of mathematical reasoning and communication. This exploratory study explored the reasoning by 122 science students from a university in Lesotho about the truth or falsity of conditional statements. Written tasks and interviews were used as methods of data collection to produce qualitative data. The tasks required the students to classify the given conditional statements as either true or false and explain their answers. The word ‘explain’ carried the meaning that students should provide reasons for their choice of answers. The analysis took into account whether students classified the statements correctly and if the reasons they gave resonated with their choice of answers. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of students correctly classified the statements as either true or false. What became of great interest was that most students classified the statements and their converses and their equivalences correctly with appropriate reasoning. Very few students could not give proper mathematical reasoning for their choice of answers. Implications for the findings of the study for teaching and future research are provided.
-
-
-
Trends in qualification of South African mathematics teachers : findings from TIMSS 2003, 2011, 2015
The chain of progression from teacher education to qualification to classroom instruction and student engagement, and then to learning and achievement, is not as straightforward as often presented. Societal, political and economic pressures create either a positive climate or a stressful one for both teachers and students. Nevertheless it is safe to say that in a subject like mathematics, the importance of subject matter knowledge cannot be underestimated. Research in this area supports the presumption that formal qualifications in the subject, in this case mathematics, are necessary, as this focused engagement with mathematics provides the foundation for mathematics teaching and learning. The allocation of fully qualified teachers to schools has in the past been uneven, with the supposition that students at higher socio-economic levels are being taught by better qualified teachers. In South Africa the improvement of teacher qualifications has been identified as a core area of action with the relevant policy on teacher education renewed in 2007 and again in 2014. The focus of this paper is to understand the change in patterns of teacher qualifications, and the interrelationship with school contextual variables. The analysis is based on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data from 2003, 2011 and 2015, where teachers from the TIMSS sample provided contextual information. Descriptive statistics were calculated using the IEA IDB Analyzer. The results show that South Africa has made substantial progress in uplifting teachers’ formal qualification levels and in reducing structural inequality within its education system. Out-of-field teaching of mathematics is still shown to be a common phenomenon and is unevenly distributed.
-
-
-
Exploring teacher pedagogical practices that help learners make connections during the teaching of reactions in Aqueous Solutions at Senior Secondary Level
Evidence from the literature supports the idea that a hierarchical and coherently organised curriculum fosters meaningful learning. We argue that the learning can only be realised if teaching complements the curricular coherence by allowing learners to make links during the teaching and learning process. The study reported in this paper explores the extent to which selected teachers’ pedagogical practices support this coherence in their teaching of the electrolytic cell. Two teachers were observed teaching Reactions in Aqueous Solutions at senior secondary level. The classroom discussions were transcribed and analysed using the Pedagogical Link-Making tool by Scott, Aguair and Mortimer. The tool has three aspects; pedagogical link-making for continuity, pedagogical link-making for knowledge building; and pedagogical link-making for emotional engagement. In this case pedagogical link-making to promote continuity was used to analyse the data to establish coherence and progression in concept coverage. According to Scott and colleagues, an important part of teaching science is to support learners in making their own links between concepts within the lesson, across lessons and across grades. This is link-making for continuity. The teachers were interviewed after teaching in order to clarify some of the pedagogical practices observed during the lesson. There was little evidence of teachers helping learners to make the connections between concepts and thus make sense of the content themselves. Furthermore, even in classrooms with learner involvement, there was hardly any link-making by learners. We discuss the implications of these findings for teaching and learning as well as for teacher education.
-
-
-
Teachers’ use of computer-based simulations in teaching electrolysis : a case study in Eswatini
This study aimed to understand teachers’ classroom practices using computer-based simulations (CBS) when teaching electrolysis. The study was framed by the Consensus Model of Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Convenience and purposive sampling were used to select three experienced chemistry teachers from three schools in Eswatini (Swaziland). Semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and classroom observations were used in the data collection. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis in terms of six emergent themes. The findings of this study reveal how the teachers’ views and knowledge about CBS and electrolysis relate to the way they integrate CBS into their lessons while teaching this topic. The teachers all believed that CBS enhances learners’ understanding of electrolysis because it enables learners to visualise abstract processes, and because the simulations raise learners’ interest and enhance critical thinking. Two of the teachers valued learners’ involvement in the manipulation of the CBS, while the remaining teacher believed that it was adequate for learners to ‘see’ the movement of ions and electrons. During classroom discussions following the simulations, the teachers sometimes displayed poor content knowledge, thus reducing the value of the learning experience. All of the teachers were concerned that the shortage of equipment, large class sizes and the poor socio-economic background of the learners may affect the effective use of CBS. Although the schools participating in this study had computers, they were reserved for use by the ICT departments, adding to the obstacles faced by the teachers. It is recommended that teachers are made familiar with the pedagogy of using CBS, and that teachers’ content knowledge should be prioritised during their training to enhance the effective use of CBS.
-
-
-
An exploratory study on the alignment between the different levels of the curriculum on circuit electricity
Various reasons for under-performance in physical sciences have been found, such as a lack of teachers’ content knowledge and a lack of resources. This study looks into the extent of alignment between the various levels of the curriculum on circuit electricity (intended, implemented and attained levels). The research took place in Mpumalanga amongst 1423 Grade 11 learners with their teachers at 42 South African schools. The study followed an exploratory research design, using an interpretive paradigm whereby the learners responded to a survey questionnaire, namely the learner electricity learning confirmatory questionnaire. Their teachers’ electricity teaching lesson plan was collected and analysed. The alignments of four different curriculum levels were compared, namely the formal curriculum (21 electricity topics in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement); the perceived curriculum (the topics included in the lesson plans); the experiential curriculum (learner reports of topics studied); and the assessed curriculum (problematic electricity topics in diagnostic reports). This study provided evidence of a misalignment of the formal with the perceived, experiential and assessed curricula, but a closer alignment of experiential curriculum with the perceived and assessed curricula. Findings contradict the impression that teachers plan to teach for the examinations; however, they teach sections that do not appear in the exam. More alarmingly, teachers omit ‘conceptually difficult’ sections from their lesson plans but include the relevant applications of these concepts in calculations. District officials need to ensure that the difficult electricity concepts are taught, and they should make sure that the teachers teach what is expected in the formal curriculum.
-

E-ISSN: 2469-7656
© Publisher: Taylor & Francis

E-ISSN: 2469-7656
© Publisher: Taylor & Francis