HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE OF TRIGONOMETRY AND GEOMETRY.

Autor: Mkhwanazi, Thokozani, Bansilal, Sarah, Brijlall, Deonarain
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Educational Studies; Aug2023, Vol. 22 Issue 2, p75-97, 23p
Abstrakt: There is concern over the learning and teaching of mathematics in South Africa. The aim of this study was to explore high school mathematics teachers' conceptual difficulties in trigonometry and coordinate geometry. The participants were in-service teachers (n = 236), who were enrolled in an in-service programme at a South African university. The research instrument was based on a previous Grade 12 national mathematics paper. The study used Duval's theory on semiotic systems to try to understand the teachers' difficulties experienced with the content. Ethical clearance was obtained from the university research office for the collection of data. All participants provided informed consent to participate in the study. The study used a mixed methods approach where the quantitative data was first analysed. Thereafter a content analysis was conducted on 50 scripts to gain insight into the areas which presented challenges to the teachers. The results showed that the teachers obtained an average of 55% overall in the items. The average for the trigonometry and coordinate geometry was 52% and 61% respectively. The study suggests that teachers need more support in mastering the Grade 12 content and developing representational fluency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Databáze: Complementary Index