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Title Investigating Mathematics teachers' strategies for addressing grade 12 learners' challenges in algebra in Katima Mulilo circuit in Zambezi region, Namibia
Full text http://hdl.handle.net/11070/3179
Date 2022
Author(s) Sezuni, Martin Musokotwani
Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate and establish Mathematics teachers' teaching strategies that were been used in addressing Grade 12 learners' challenges in Algebra in Katima Mulilo Circuit in Zambezi Region. The research study was a descriptive qualitative approach, which used a convenient sampling in order to select three Mathematics secondary school teachers to elicit the strategies that the teachers at the sampled schools used in solving problems in Algebra. The research study used observations, document analysis and interviews to generate data from teachers. The secondary school teachers' observations and interviews were analyzed into different categories. This was done in order to determine differences and similarities with the strategies identified. When social constructivism learning theory was used as a lens, the study revealed that the main challenges with Grade 12 learners in solving algebraic problems was the lack of solving skills, the inappropriate use of the teaching strategies by Grade 12 learners and their negative attitudes towards Algebra. The other findings of the study showed that, teachers used the strategies like visualizing problems, step procedure, identifying key words, guessing and checking, and choose suitable operations. The recommendations in this study are for the teachers to use the teaching strategies for solving algebra problems and teaching strategies to make Grade 12 learners understand Algebra. The examples used in teaching should be more practical as pointed out by some of the teachers. Thus, the strategies that came up from the teachers fall into categories. These categories of teaching strategies in algebraic problem solving involve; choosing an operation, identifying key words, step procedure, visualizing the problem, pattern sniffing, re-reading the words, and lastly guessing and checking. The teaching strategies used by teachers to make Grade 12 learners understand Algebra fell into three categories. The strategies were been used to develop the habits of mind by integrating the Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) approach, where concrete materials are used in teaching Algebra.
Subject(s) Understanding algebra; Mathematics teachers in Katima; Algebraic problems
Language en
Publisher University of Namibia
Type of publication Thesis
Repository Windhoek - University of Namibia
Added to C-A: 2022-07-04;11:05:05