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High school mathematics marks as an admission criterion for entry into programming courses at a South African university

  • Authors: Van der Westhuizen, Duan , Barlow-Jones, Glenda
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Mathematics , Higher education , Enrolment criteria
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/214808 , uj:21327 , Citation: Van der Westhuizen, D. & Barlow-Jones, G. 2016. High school mathematics marks as an admission criterion for entry into programming courses at a South African university.
  • Description: Abstract: In this study, the assumption that good performance in mathematics in the final school year could be used as a pre-entry requirement to programming courses at universities in South Africa, is challenged. The extant literature reports positive relationships between mathematics performance and success in programming courses. As computer programming modules in higher education institutions (HEIs) are typically characterised by low success rates, it becomes important to eliminate potentially erroneous entry requirements. The low success rate in programming modules is ascribed to the abstract nature and content of programming courses, and the inadequacy of pre-university education to prepare students for the cognitive skills required for success in such programmes. This paper reports on a single independent variable, ‘performance in high school mathematics’, and its relationship to performance in two computer programming courses. The dataset comprised the school marks of four cohorts of students who were enrolled for the programming modules between 2012 and 2015. Firstly, we computed the point-biserial correlation between a dichotomous variable that indicated whether students had mathematics as a subject in Grade 12 or not, and their performance in the programming modules. Once we established that a relationship existed, the marks achieved in the final school year for mathematics, and performance in two programming modules were correlated. Results indicated that the school mathematics marks correlate only marginally, and that correlations were not significant, with performance in the two programming courses. We also correlated the school mathematical literacy marks with performance in the two programming courses, and found that a strong positive correlation that was significant existed with the second semester programming course. We conclude that the mark achieved for school mathematics cannot be considered as a valid admission criterion for programming courses in the South African context.
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Gender socio-economic and demographic determinants predictors of mathematics success

  • Authors: Agumba, Justus N.
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Determinants , Gender , Engineering , Mathematics
  • Language: English
  • Type: Conference proceedings
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/17886 , uj:15934 , Citation: Agumba, J.N. 2015. Gender socio-economic and demographic determinants predictors of mathematics success. Strouhal, J. & Sandhu, P.S. (Eds.) 2015 International Conference on Environment, Agricultural & Civil Engineering (ICEACE-15), Sept. 24-25, 2015 Penang, Malaysia. pp.99-104. ISBN: 9789384422394.
  • Description: Abstract: he socio-economic and demographic factors have been indicated to predict mathematics success. However, there is paucity of research to verify if these factors differ in predicating mathematics success based on gender (male and female). Hence, this paper reports on a study of gender socio-economic and demographic factors as predictors of mathematics success for civil and built environment students at a comprehensive university in South Africa. Data was obtained through, questionnaire survey from 199 students who were purposive sampled. However, two questionnaires were not valid. The questionnaire was developed from exiting literature. The data was analysed using Statistical Package fo! r the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. The statistical analyses computed were both descriptive and inferential. Inferential statistics were used to determine gender socio-economic and demographic variables influencing mathematics success. This was computed using binary logistic regression, splitting gender into male and female. The result established that when male and female socio-economic and demographic variables were tested they were poor predictors of mathematics success. Hence all the variables were insignificant, as the p-values were less than 0.05. However, the descriptive statistics on the socio-economic and demographic factors indicated that male students outperformed the female students in mathematics at high school and at the university. In terms of weekly income majority of the students earned less than R200, with 54% male and 55% for female. It is interesting to note that female students’ parents’ highest education were far better than male students, as 38% of ! female students indicated their parents highest education level was university degree compared to 30% of male students. However, the arithmetic difference is not too wide. Furthermore, majority of female students i.e. 74% compared to 61% male students pursued the building course, whereas male students were the majority in civil engineering technology compared to their female counterparts. This study informs university policy makers that where male and female students are accommodated, their age, passing high school mathematics, amount of weekly allowance, entry level to the university and type of education sponsors does not predict passing mathematics at university. However, further research is advocated as these variables are not exhaustive
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Grense vir die wiskundige denke?

  • Authors: Heidema, J.
  • Date: 2009-03-05T08:16:03Z
  • Subjects: Mathematics , Mathematical thought
  • Type: Inaugural
  • Identifier: uj:14959 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2243
  • Description: Inaugural--Department of Mathematics, Rand Afrikaans University, 22 October 1970 , In the evolution of Mathematics at least two mutations can be discerned: during the Greek era mathematics, which started out as a practical art, became a deductively organised science; during the second half of the nineteenth century a second revolution took place: mathematics became "abstract". In this latter development mathematics is seen transcending limits imposed on it during the previous two and a half millennia, notably the limits of linkage to physical reality, of rigid interpretability, and of truth. Drawing the consequences of this trend, the following conclusions are sketched: there exist no specifically mathematical entities or relations; mathematical thought should not be limited to results obtainable in some existing formal system or by some known constructive method; one should not try to cast final "foundations" for mathematical thought.
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Investigating factors that lead to underperformance in mathematics, physical sciences and life sciences

  • Authors: Gwaza, Terseer Henry
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Physical sciences , Life sciences , Underachievers , School failure , Mathematics
  • Language: English
  • Type: Masters (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/64020 , uj:17146
  • Description: Abstract: This study investigated factors thought to influence the underperformance of learners in three different subjects, namely Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences. Case-study research was conducted using qualitative data collection and analysis. Since this is a study of limited scope (coursework Master’s degree), I relied heavily on literature, and the main reports I used were from the Centre for Development Enterprise (CDE) report (Value in the Classroom), World Economic Forum (WEF), Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Program for International Student Assessments (PISA). The data-collecting methods used were questionnaires administered to 8 teachers; focus-group interviews with 9 learners; lesson observations and individual reflective interviews with 2 teachers. The questionnaire responses were reduced to numerical data and presented graphically using Excel software; the interview data were transcribed, coded and categorised to identify emerging themes; the lesson observations were analysed using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) (Sawada, Piburn, Falconer, Turley, Benford & Bloom, 2000) to record and rate the pedagogical orientation of the teachers. A forth secondary data set was used. This data was provided by my supervisor who conducted a case study of science teaching and learning in two Finnish classrooms. In the final stage of data analysis, the findings from this study were interrogated and contrasted with the Finnish study using third-generation Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) (Engestrӧm, 1987) as a lens. The CHAT analysis identified certain external and internal factors and tensions in the South African case, and assisted me in providing a more nuanced description of the factors influencing the performance of learners in Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences. The following emerged as major challenges influencing learner performance in Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences in this research: insufficient mathematics and science teachers; under-qualified teachers; teachers’ sense of... , M.Ed.
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Do problem solving, critical thinking and creativity play a role in knowledge management? A theoretical mathematics perspective

  • Authors: Giannakopoulos, Paul , Buckley, Sheryl
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Knowledge management , Problem solving , Critical thinking , Creativity , Mathematics , Psychopragmatic approach
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: uj:6218 , ISBN 978-1-906638-40-5 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5308
  • Description: Litschka, Markom, Schunder (2006) state that "... a knowledge-based economy requires new approaches in management especially with employee oriented actions, because workability, well-being, and creativity of employees determine the success and sustainability of an organization." Such approaches have to be grounded on established learning theories for life long learning which are conducive to knowledge creation and knowledge acquisition. Situated learning (Lave & Wenger, 1997), constructivism (Piaget, 1971; Vygotsky, 1978), behaviourism (Thorndike, 1915; Skinner, 1958) and cognitivism (Wertheimer, 1912; Kohlberg, 1972; Mezirow, 1962, all cited by Hergenhahn and Olson (1997: 29-48) have dominated education for more than eight decades. Though each theory has made valuable contributions, management of knowledge requires higher order thinking skills such critical thinking, problem solving and creativity on the part of the manager of the organisational knowledge and the part of the knowledge creator. The importance of these three skills, especially for the last two decades, have not only been accepted as important cognitive skills by educators and employers, but they also form part of the critical outcomes in American educational policies (American college personnel association, 1994 cited by King & Baxter-Magolda, 1996) as well as in South Africa (SAQA, 1998; the White Paper on Further Education and Training, 1998: 21-23). What is suggested here is a new approach to knowledge management, the psycho-pragmatic approach, which makes use of theories of learning of mathematics as problem solving, critical thinking and creativity form the essence of knowledge acquisition (Schoenfeld, 1987; Skemp, 1977). Mathematics has been recognised as a subject that enhances higher order skills because on the one hand requires abstract thinking on the other promotes use and application of knowledge (Pushkin 2007; Alonso, 1992; Forinash, 1992). This new approach makes use of psychological learning theories for generation of knowledge and pragmatism for application of such knowledge. It is of cyclic nature as well as of spiral nature based on the idea of Nonaka and Konno (1998) model of knowledge and of Bruner's (1976) spiral curriculum.
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The quasi center of a banach algebra

Improving Grade R mathematics teaching in South Africa : evidence from an impact evaluation of a province-wide intervention

  • Authors: Hazell, Eleanor , Spencer-Smith, Garth , Roberts, Nicky
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Mathematics , Early grade , At scale
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/404578 , uj:33935 , Citation: Hazell, E., Spencer-Smith, G. & Roberts, N. 2019. Improving Grade R mathematics teaching in South Africa : evidence from an impact evaluation of a province-wide intervention.
  • Description: Abstract: We present the impact on learner outcomes of a province-wide Grade R mathematics intervention (termed R-Maths) in relation to theoretical frameworks established from a meta-evaluation of evaluations of education interventions in South Africa and a review of other meta-evaluation and synthesis studies. We compare the changes in Mathematics performance from base- to end-line, of learners in the intervention group (taught by R-Maths-trained teachers/practitioners) to the comparison group (learners in schools in the same districts, but whose teachers/practitioners had not yet received the R-Maths intervention). The intervention group performed 2.9 percentage points better than the comparison group over the whole Marko-D test of mathematical competencies, with a small effect size. The greatest effects on performance were from language of learning and teaching, and district. The R-Maths case indicates that a modified cascade model which includes some elements of Fleisch’s “educational triple cocktail” (structured learning materials, teacher training, and support) may be successful by working with, and through, department of education structures. Whether the effects are retained over time and if these effects can be replicated in different contexts is not yet known.
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Mathematics teachers’ levels of technological pedagogical content knowledge and information and communication technology integration barriers

Grade 9 mathematics learners’ strategies in solving number-pattern problems

The values learners consider as important in the learning of mathematics

  • Authors: Madosi, Tendai , Spangenberg, Erica Dorethea , Ramdhany, Viren
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Learners , Values , Mathematics
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/424275 , uj:36278 , Madosi, T., Spangenberg, E.D., Ramdhan, V.: The values learners consider as important in the learning of mathematics. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.18820/2519593X/pie. v38i1.13
  • Description: Abstract: Learners have different values that could affect their learning and eventually their performance in mathematics. However, many teachers are unaware of these values. Therefore, this paper reports on a study that established the values learners consider as important in the learning of mathematics. The participants were 274 Grade 9 learners, selected purposively from one school in Gauteng, South Africa. An exploratory quantitative research method was adopted and data were collected with a standardised questionnaire developed by Seah (2011b). The results revealed that learners value 1) Hard work and effort when doing mathematics; 2) Numerous different methods to obtain the answer to a mathematics problem; 3) Authentic examples of shapes to understand their properties; 4) Demonstration and explanation of mathematics concepts and proofs; and 5) Teaching and explaining mathematical concepts. This paper highlights the values teachers should consider in the teaching and learning of mathematics in order to ensure better learner performance in mathematics. Furthermore, the paper adds to research on values in Mathematics Education within a South African context.
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Peer tutors’ views on their role in motivating learners to learn mathematics

  • Authors: Roberts, Abigail K. , Spangenberg, Erica D.
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Mathematics , Motivation , Peer tutor
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/453493 , uj:40038 , ISSN: (Online) 2223-7895 , Citation: Roberts, A.K., & Spangenberg, E.D. (2020). Peer tutors’ views on their role in motivating learners to learn mathematics. Pythagoras, 41(1), a520. https://doi.org/10.4102/ pythagoras.v41i1.520
  • Description: Abstract: Many learners are unmotivated to learn mathematics due to a lack of attention, irrelevance of mathematics, low self-confidence and dissatisfaction. However, peer tutoring can afford learners opportunities to engage with other individuals who have overcome similar challenges in the learning of mathematics and who can motivate them to become increasingly mindful of the task at hand at their own pace in a one-on-one relationship. This article reports on Grade 12 peer tutors’ views on their role in motivating Grade 8 and Grade 9 learners to learn mathematics in relation to the four categories of learner motivation, namely attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction (ARCS). The four categories adapted from the ARCS model of motivation were used as a lens to view and analyse the data using theoretical thematic analysis. This qualitative article utilised pre- and post-interviews as data collection instruments. Ten of the best-performing Grade 12 learners at an ex-model C school in Gauteng province in South Africa were purposively selected to participate in the research. The findings revealed that peer tutors view their role to motivate learners to learn mathematics peculiar to seven positions, which can inform future research on intervention strategies to improve mathematics performance. This article introduces research on an adapted use of the ARCS model of motivation in motivating learners to learn mathematics, which is a novel way of bringing new perspectives to research on motivation in mathematics at secondary school level.
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Rurality and exclusion in ordinary level mathematics in Zimbabwe : a document analysis

  • Authors: Vurayai, Simon
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Mathematics , Ordinary level , Rural areas
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/454332 , uj:40175 , Citation: Vurayai, S. 2020. Rurality and exclusion in ordinary level mathematics in Zimbabwe : a document analysis. , DOI: https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.6.22
  • Description: Abstract: This conceptual paper fuses literature review and document analysis in examining the nexus between rurality and social exclusion in Ordinary level mathematics education in Zimbabwe. The paper utilizes Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory to examine the content and context of mathematics problems in textbooks and examinations focusing on language and cultural experiences. Globally, rural education has been neglected and Zimbabwe is no exception. I argue that the role of nonmaterial deterrents like lack of cultural and language capital in achievement in mathematics education has not been accorded due attention. I conclude that the context of mathematics problems in textbooks and examinations is alien to rural learners. The readability of textbooks is also beyond the reach of many rural learners. I recommend that the mathematics curriculum should be inclusive of the diverse cultural experiences of learners and the language used should be intelligible to all. The mathematics educators and related stakeholders should know that every child is capable of doing mathematics hence all forms of social closure should be eradicated.
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