Abstract
School algebra serves as the language of mathematics and a foundational subject for
learning advanced mathematics courses. This makes developing learners’ proficiency in
algebra the most desirable instructional goal of school mathematics. Despite having such
importance emphasis, however, studies indicate that the vast majority of learners are
characterised by inadequate mathematics proficiency levels in general and in the algebra
syllabus topics in particular. Consequently, this quasi-experimental study attempted to
investigate the efficacy of using discourse-based instruction as an instructional approach
to developing proficiency in algebra unit topics. One hundred and six (N = 106) Grade 11
learners participated in the study and were randomly grouped into an experimental group
(n = 52) and a control group (n = 54). Using a test instrument that consisted of 24 Raschvalidated
items, both pre-test and post-test data were collected from both groups under
similar conditions. The Mann-Whitney U statistical analysis of the pre-test data revealed
no significant difference between the control and experimental groups. The Mann-Whitney
U analysis performed on the post-test data demonstrated that the experimental group
scored significantly higher in the post-test scores when compared to the control group
after the intervention. The study findings provided evidence of the efficacy of discoursebased
instruction over teacher-centred instruction for developing learners’ algebra
proficiency.