Projekte om wiskundeprestasie aan ’n tegniese universiteit te verbeter
Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie/South African Journal of Science and Technology
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Projekte om wiskundeprestasie aan ’n tegniese universiteit te verbeter Projects to improve mathematics performance at a university of technology | |
| Creator | Louw, Ina | |
| Description | Dosente aan tersiêre instansies spreek al ’n geruime tyd hul kommer oor die kwaliteit van wiskundestudente uit. Die blaam word dikwels voor die deur van die sekondêre skole gelê, maar deurvoersyfers is van kardinale belang vir staatsubsidie; derhalwe moet tersiêre instansies voortdurend aksies en intervensies onderneem om studente se wiskundeprestasie te verbeter. In hierdie artikel word verslag gedoen oor die uitslae van twee sodanige studies, met verwysing na moontlike verdere projekte. Die eerste studie behels ’n aksienavorsingsprojek met ’n eksperi-mentele ontwerp wat aan die voormalige Technikon Noord Gauteng uitgevoer is. Die studie het die implementering van ’n tutoriaalstelsel behels en het bepaalde tendense uitgewys. Die tweede studie het ’n ondersoek na assesseringspraktyke in eerstejaarswiskunde aan die Tshwane Universiteit van Tegnologie (TUT) behels. Respondente is aan vernuwende assessering blootgestel, met die oogmerk om hul kennis en vaardigheid in kontemporêre assesseringspraktyke te verbeter en gestalte aan uitkomsgerigte onderrig- en leeromgewings te gee. Hierdie studie het nuwe probleme aan die lig gebring en hernieude pogings moet vervolgens aangewend word om wiskundeprestasie te verseker. Lecturers at tertiary institutions have been expressing concern about the quality of students in mathematics for a long time now. Blame is usually placed at the door of secondary schools, but through put figures are still determining state subsidies and as such necessitate institutions to constantly revisit their efforts in terms of improving performance in mathematics. In this article, the results of two studies to improve the mathematics performance at a technical university are reported. The first study took place at the former Technikon Northern Gauteng and was an action research project with an experimental design. The study entailed the implementation of tutorial sessions and it revealed certain traits of tertiary mathematics education. Data were collected through structured observation, questionnaires and focus group interviews. A standardized questionnaire, Study Orientation Questionnaire in Maths (SOM), was introduced and “study habits” was the field in the test that featured most significantly in both the experimental and the control groups. The results revealed, inter alia, that timely assessment is needed to detect and correct misconceptions as soon as possible. It also pointed out that attendance of lectures (and tutorials) impacted strongly on performance. Lastly, it was found that students preferred communicating mathematics through the medium of English and not by using their mother tongue. The second project was conducted at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and consisted of an investigation into assessment practices in first year mathematics. The study was executed with action research as strategy and data were collected through interviews, questionnaires and focus group interviews. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected and respondents were exposed to contemporary assessment strategies as suggested by OBE. The aim of the study was to enhance the respondents’ insight into contemporary assessment strategies and to empower them to execute their assessment in a more accountable way. The merger of the institution was still underway at the time, which left many respondents with questions and uncertainties about their future. Some of the findings were, inter alia, that some respondents were convinced that new assessment strategies would lower the standard of teaching; some respondents mentioned the poor quality of students and were convinced that the Tshwane University of Technology would benefit from reviewing their admission criteria, and respondents cited large class groups, lack of marking assistance and ignorance about Outcomes Based Education (OBE) as reasons for failing to undertake assessment renewal. In the mean time class groups got even bigger and a new solution needs to be found as a matter of urgency | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2009-09-07 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/satnt.v28i4.72 | |
| Source | Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie; Vol 28, No 4 (2009); 366-377 Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie; Vol 28, No 4 (2009); 366-377 2222-4173 0254-3486 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://journals.satnt.aosis.co.za/index.php/satnt/article/view/72/61
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