African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences

Improvisation as an Alternative to Initiate Hands-on Activities in Mathematics and Science Lessons among 14 Districts of Rwanda

Aimable Sibomana — 2024-01-05

Using improvisation materials is an easy, fun, effective way to help students learn and grow, and unlock their full creative potential. The study aimed at examining the status of using improvisation materials in the process of teaching and learning by Mathematics and science teachers. It employed a longitudinal survey design with the population of 4755 (1571 females and 3184 males) trained Mathematics and science teachers. A sample of 351 teachers selected purposively answered a survey questionnaire showing the status of using improvised materials while conducting experiments. An analysis by frequencies, percentages and the independent sample t-test indicate that 87.46% of teachers conduct experiments using improvised materials while 12.53% of the trained Mathematics and science teachers do not use improvised materials. The study also revealed a statistically significant difference between the status of Mathematics and science teachers’ use of improvisation materials before and after trainings (p>0.000) by the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Teacher Training Program (AIMS-TTP). The study recommends that improvisation using locally available materials should be well selected, utilized and appropriately integrated into teaching and learning to initiate instruction though hands-on activities.

English as a Medium of Instruction in Junior High Schools in the Yendi Municipality: A Boon or Bane for Mathematics Achievement

Evelyn Agyei — 2024-01-05

This study explored the role that teachers’ language of instruction plays in students’ performance in mathematics. The research design and methods of this study were based on pragmatism as the guiding paradigm. This study used a mixed method approach that combined exploratory qualitative and quantitative phases. The target population comprised junior high school students and mathematics teachers in the Northern region of Ghana, and the accessible population comprised junior high school students and mathematics teachers in the Yendi Municipality. The instruments used in the study included an interview guide and an achievement test. The respondents of this study were two mathematics teachers, and 466 students were selected through a stratified sampling technique. The study was driven by a pair of research inquiries: First, it sought to understand the impact of a teacher's language of instruction on the process of teaching and learning mathematics. Second, the study aimed to compare the academic achievements of students who were taught exclusively in English or Dagbani with those who experienced a combination of these two languages in their instruction. The study concludes that the language of instruction can impact students' academic performances in mathematics. Using the native language of students as the instructional medium can yield more favourable academic results. Therefore, educational establishments are advised to incorporate students’ native languages, particularly in the context of mathematics instructions.

Successes and Challenges of Biology Teachers in Implementing the Outcomes of School-Based In-service Training in the Nyanza and Kamonyi Districts, Rwanda

Jean Claude Mazimpaka — 2023-12-27

A school-based in-service (SBI) training program is a professional development program conducted among teachers of the same school or different schools. In SBI training, teachers collaborate, share and address challenges in their teaching. This study aims on the one hand to assess the degree to which biology teachers succeeded in implementing the knowledge and skills acquired through SBI training in their teaching. On the other hand, it aims to assess its impact on learners’ outcomes and the challenges they faced in implementing them in the Nyanza and Kamonyi districts in Rwanda. A mixed-methods research design was adopted. Probability sampling technique was used to select a sample of 21 schools from the two districts which had 51 biology teachers (comprising 21 from Kamonyi district and 30 from Nyanza district). Data were collected using questionnaire and classroom observation checklist. The findings of this study showed that the majority of teachers (96%) who had participated in SBI programs agreed that it had increased their confidence and capacity to employ active learning pedagogies that had improved the lifelong learning skills and performance of their learners. However, 67% of teachers who participated agreed they experienced various challenges like scarcity of resources in implementing the gains. In view of its numerous benefits, it is recommended that further exploration should be carried out on how SBI activities and knowledge gained from it could be fruitfully implemented in secondary schools.

Nurturing the Missing Link: Unleashing Talent and Giftedness for Critical Human Capacity Development in Nation Building

Ami Gladys Allotey — 2023-12-27

Investing in gifted and talented education potentially develops vital human capital necessary for rapid growth of society and economic prosperity. In the developed nations, support and opportunity for gifted students receive far more attention compared to developing African nations. In these nations, creative instructional approaches to develop the gifted are limited. This study explored ten mathematics and science teachers’ perspectives about giftedness with a focus on how they provide for gifted children’s diverse learning needs in Ghanaian schools. Seven school dropouts were also interviewed to understand the challenges they experienced in school. The study drew on data from semi-structured interviews and document reviews. Results showed that the gifted are overlooked making potentially limiting their future opportunities vulnerable as teachers had little knowledge about giftedness and gifted education instruction. Teachers misunderstood identification, acceleration and differentiated learning techniques and ignored them in developing gifted children as they held varied naïve view patterns and stereotypes in accommodating these children. Only the academically able mathematics and science children were recognised as gifted. The gifted, the average, the gifted but disabled and below average children go through the school system unnoticed. Findings can inform policy on giftedness and gifted education practices. Creative approaches to integrate gifted education within teacher education programs to curtail teachers’ stereotypic and naïve belief patterns about the phenomenon in contemporary society.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of their Mathematics Tutors’ Classroom Learning Environment Management Practices

Isaac Pinamang — 2023-12-27

The study explored pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of their classroom-learning environment for learning mathematics, specifically, geometric transformation. The pre-service teachers’ perceptions examined were confined to their tutors’ support, equity, and task orientation during lessons on geometric transformation. Using a descriptive survey design, the views of 60 pre-service mathematics tutors, who were purposively sampled from three Colleges of Education in Ghana, were collected through a classroom learning environment management questionnaire. This instrument was adapted from the WIHIC Classroom Learning Environment Inventory which was used to collect data after the respondents had been taught geometric transformations in the colleges. The pre-service teachers’ perceptions of mathematics classroom learning environment were gauged by their mean ratings of their agreement/disagreement with 5-point Likert scale statements about the subscales explored. The results show that there were only few of the statements about effective classroom learning environment management practices in the three subscales explored which the pre-service teachers rated above 3.5 on the5-point Likert scale. The overall mean score obtained on the ratings for tutor support (M = 3.20, SD = 1.456), teacher equity (M = 2.48, SD = 1.455) and task orientation (M = 2.48, SD = 1.455), suggest the pre-service teachers’ perception of their tutors’ effectiveness in managing the classroom learning environment was low or not good enough to enhance their learning of geometric transformations. This indicates the pre-service teachers’ have a negative perception of the effectiveness of their tutors’ classroom learning environment management practices to promote their learning of geometric transformations. It is recommended that CPD in the colleges should focus on enhancing tutors’ or mathematics educators’ classroom learning environment management practices in order to help pre-service teachers appreciate the learning of mathematics.

Lower Secondary Mathematics and Science Teachers’ Perceptions Towards Project-Based Learning in Rwanda

Marie Médiatrice Ndahimana — 2023-12-29

Project-Based Learning (PBL) teaching approach is claimed to be efficient in achieving learning outcomes related to 21st century competencies such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, cooperation, and communication among others. Rwanda Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development (RQBEHCD) project trained Mathematics and Science teachers on using PBL approach in their teaching. The training covered 15 modules/projects aligned with the Rwanda Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC). The study investigated the perception of the teachers on PBL approach after training. A quantitative research approach was used to collect data. The participants were 120 lower secondary Mathematics and Science teachers from 62 pilot Schools (16 Teacher Training Colleges (TTC), 16 Model Schools and 30 science schools selected using purposive sampling techniques. Quantitative data were collected using a designed, valid and reliable survey. From the items’ internal consistency analysis, the reliability coefficient was Cronbach’s alpha of .707. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results revealed that teachers had extremely positive perception on PBL approach. Teachers perceived PBL to be more relevant to improve students’ skills and hence more effective in implementing the competence-based curriculum. It is recommended to increase training and the follow-up of the trainees has to be done often in order to assess the implementation of what they have learned, and the challenges faced.

Impact of Continuous Professional Development on Performance in High School Biology: A Systematic Review

Nepomuscene Hategekimana — 2023-12-29

Continuous professional development (CPD) is necessary for the goal of upgrading professional skills and abilities. Although CPD has been the subject of various research, biology instructors have had very little biology-specific teacher professional development. This systematic review's goal is to evaluate how CPD affects teachers and students' performance in biology subject. An overview of 35 articles from peer-reviewed journals that were published between 2006 and 2022 is given in this article. Qualitative content analysis was used to examine the data. A total of 35 publications from 27 journals underwent in-depth analysis. The analysis' primary areas of focus were CPD strategies, learning settings, cognitive and psychomotor abilities, attitudes and emotions, and evaluation techniques. The qualities of effective CPD techniques were also explored, and their implications for teaching and learning were highlighted. The academic performance of the students in biology was found to be significantly improved in various ways by a total of 22 different CPD approaches. The CPD strategies that strongly involved teachers and active student participation were those that were most heavily highlighted. The findings of this research revealed that CPD improved the student’s performance and the teacher’s competence towards Biology subject.

Public School Teachers’ Perceptions of Factors Influencing Teaching of Chemistry in Senior Schools in Minna, North-Central, Nigeria

Adam Abdulqadir Nda — 2023-12-29

The study sought to investigate the perceptions of public-school teachers on the factors influencing teaching of chemistry in senior secondary schools in Minna, North-Central, Nigeria. The study was undertaken to determine the extent to which some factors have influenced the effective teaching of chemistry in Nigerian public senior secondary schools. A total of thirty-one (31) teachers were purposively selected for the study, one teacher from each of the thirty-one public senior secondary school. The study adopted a qualitative research design which largely involved content analysis techniques in data collection and analysis. The results showed that majority of public-school teachers exhibit similar perceptions of factors influencing the teaching of chemistry and there is no difference in the perceptions of qualified and unqualified public-school teachers on the factors influencing the teaching of chemistry in senior secondary schools. However, some suggestions were offered on how to improve on the factors highlighted to make the teaching and learning of chemistry more effective and interesting.

Levels of Compliance to Science Laboratory Safety Procedures and Practices in Secondary Schools in Tanzania

Alten Ntulo — 2023-12-27

This study investigated the levels of compliance to laboratory safety procedures and practices in secondary schools in Tanzania and explored the influence of schools’ performance rankings (based on the Presidential Award on Environmental Conservation (PAEC) evaluation) on their assessed levels of compliance to laboratory safety procedures and practices. The study was a cross-sectional survey design that employed a checklist to obtain data. Fifty-nine schools with all three PAEC rankings, best, moderate and unsatisfactory, were randomly sampled from across districts/councils in the target regions. Data were collected using a checklist adapted from Safety in Science Laboratories Hand Book, which was completed by a laboratory technician or head of science department from each school. The results show that 95% of the schools with unsatisfactory compliance level improved on their PAEC ranking level suggesting the competition had the greatest impact on this category of schools. But the fact that 23% of the schools dropped from their earlier PAEC ranking level should be a matter of concern to all stakeholders in science education in the country. A one-way analysis of variance test carried out to test whether or not the differences among the schools’ assessed compliance mean scores were statistically significant showed that the mean of the moderate compliance schools (M = 61.1, SD = 12.07) was significantly higher than those obtained by the schools in the other two compliance levels (best and unsatisfactory) combined (M = 50.9, SD = 19.97), (M = 49.2, SD = 11.52); F (3, 56) = 3.619, p = .033. These results suggest that 3 years after the PAEC initiative, many schools ranked as having unsatisfactory compliance have improved to moderate but several ranked as having best compliance have declined to the unsatisfactory compliance level. Recommendations are made to ensure compliance to laboratory safety procedures and practices by all schools are taken more seriously by all stakeholders.

Effect of Experiential Learning Approach on Junior High School Pupils’ Performance in Finding Area of Plane Figures

Hatsu Edo — 2023-12-29

The purpose of the study was to investigate effect of the experiential learning approach on junior high school pupils’ performance in finding area of plane figures. The sample size consisted of seventy (70) pupils comprising 35 in the control group and 35 in the experimental group. A quasi-experimental design was used in which the experimental group was exposed to experiential learning teaching approach and control group was taught normally using the traditional method. Pre-test and later post-test, which were based on the Ghana Education Service junior high school mathematics syllabus requirements, were carried out simultaneously on both groups before and after the experiment respectively. A focus group discussion was held with five mathematics teachers to find out the impact of the experiential learning activities on their pupils’ in performance in finding area of plane figures. An independent sample t-test analysis was carried out on the pre-test and post-test scores. The findings revealed that the experiential learning teaching approach led to better development of the pupils’ performance in the concept than the traditional method of teaching. The performance of experiential learning group was higher than the comparable traditional group. The teachers confirmed in the focus group discussion that experiential learning impact on learners’ performance in finding area of plane figures. The study recommends that teachers should incorporate experiential learning teaching approach into their lessons to help improve pupils’ conceptual understanding of area of plane figures.