Investigation into the teaching and learning of mathematics in junior secondary schools: the case of Ghana

摘要

The 2007 revised mathematics curriculum in Ghana introduced many changes to the way mathematicsudshould be taught and learned. However, before this research started in 2010, very little was knownudabout how this subject is taught and learned. This study aims to investigate mathematics teachers’udteaching practices and students’ learning experiences in junior high schools (12-14 years) using audmixed methods design. The study’s conceptual framework is informed by two different, but interrelatedudtheories: behaviourism and constructivism.udParticipants in the study were 24 mathematics teachers and 358 students from 12 schools. Semistructuredudquestionnaires were used to collect quantitative data about participants’ perceptions, andudclassroom observations and interviews were used to collect qualitative data about actual classroomudpractices. The quantitative data was analysed using SPSS, STATSDIRECT and ORIGIN software andudthe qualitative data assessed using a thematic analysis approach.udThe key findings include: teachers and students espoused the belief that their teaching and learningudpractices are consistent with the principles and guidelines of the new mathematics curriculum.udTeachers perceived teaching practices were complex as they contain both behaviourist andudconstructivist beliefs; however, their actual teaching practices were didactic. It also emerged that bothudteachers and students try to avoid making mistakes, despite the importance of correcting students’udmisconceptions when promoting effective teaching and learning. The fact that peer influence is a keyudfactor that shapes students’ learning was an important theme that emerged from the interview and theudclassroom observations. Students were only willing to participate in class discussions if they knew theudcorrect answer, as they would be ridiculed by their peers for giving a wrong answer.udThe movement towards a more constructivist approach to teaching and learning, which is the primeudobjective of the new mathematics curriculum, occurred at a slower pace. Thus, a conceptual model forudthe teaching and learning of mathematics which advocates collaboration and partnership betweenudteachers and students in the classroom is offered.