Abstract
Within higher education, wicked problems such as massification and underpreparedness contribute to the demand for foundation programmes to reduce attrition levels. If academic growth is addressed, students are more likely to be prepared for undergraduate study and less likely to drop out. Therefore the aim of this study was to generate design principles for a pre-undergraduate foundation programme mathematics course that can promote academic growth in order to prepare students for undergraduate studies and improve the pass rate of such a course. A pragmatic paradigm was adopted to promote a real-life intervention. Specifically, a four-phase design-based research strategy was implemented across a pilot study and three iterative cycles. Participants, sampled purposively, were invited to take part in the pilot study and iterative cycles, and 827 students of a population of 1 136 students (72.8%) consented to contribute data to this study. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected in each iteration and merged during the data analysis stage. Written qualitative feedback and focus group conversations were thematically analysed using varied qualitative coding methods. Participants also completed questionnaires pertaining to motivation, learning strategies, and beliefs about mathematics. These data, along with institutional data relating to attendance and formative and summative assessments, were analysed quantitatively using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26.0. Design principles were generated from the main findings relating to five aspects of academic growth: content, teaching, learning, motivation, and disposition. The main findings were first that students’ algebraic knowledge development was optimised when current learning was connected to prior learning and linked to future knowledge and applications so that students could detect the relevance of their learning. Secondly, students appreciated a supportive teacher who was caring and could explain in ways that were easily understandable. In addition, students enjoyed a classroom environment that enhanced learning, where they could collaborate and felt confident to ask questions. Most students were also able to adapt their pace of learning to match the pace of teaching as a result of the resources supplied and vi support provided. Students’ intrinsic motivation to study algebra improved over the duration of the course and their extrinsic motivation declined. Furthermore, anxiety relating to mathematics and test-taking was reduced over the duration of the course. Lastly, conclusions relating to disposition remained unresolved, possibly as a result of highly heterogeneous cohorts. This study merged theory and practice to improve the learning experience of students. The design principles that emerged could be replicated in classrooms that offer other subjects at different levels. This study shows that it is possible to put in place strategies that afford students, and teachers, the opportunity to promote academic growth. Key words: Academic growth, Design-based research, Disposition, Learning, Mathematics, Motivation.
Ph.D. (Mathematics Education)