Mathematics and physical science choices made by pupils in selected Eastern Cape high schools: an investigation into the factors influencing the different choice patterns of boys and girls
- Authors: Ilsley, Jeffrey Robert
- Date: 1988
- Subjects: Sex differences in education -- South Africa Education, Secondary -- Curricula -- South Africa Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa Physical sciences -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- Psychological aspects Physical sciences -- Study and teaching -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1869 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004750
- Description: The disparate numbers of boys and girls who elect to continue with mathemalics and/or physical science in the higher slandards of the school system has recently attracted much research atlention and the complexity of the interrelaledness of causal factors has become obvious. The broad aim of the study was to investigale the significant drop-out rate of girls at the end of the junior secondary phase of education (approximate age of fourteen lo fifteen). This was to be carried out for mathematics and physical science and undertaken using a cross-sectional and a longitudinal study. The cross-sectional study entailed administering mathematics and physical science attitude questionnaires to 3531 standard six, seven and eight pupils from 4 co-educational, 2 allgirls' and 2 all-boys' schools, from middle and upper socioeconomic communities with similar language and cultural backgrounds . The longitudinal study involved pupils from two coeducational schools and one all-girls' school. It was a progressively-focused study starting with questionnaires administered to 358 standard six girls and boys, narrowing down to questionnaires and interviews used with 50 girls and 28 boys in standard seven and finally to interviews with 10 girls from standard eight. The parents of these ten girls were interviewed at the end of the study. The attilude questionnaires yielded strong sex differences which favoured the boys in both subjects for all the attitudes measured and also pointed to a progressive deterioralion of altitudes over the three-standard span. They also established significant differences in attitudes which favoured the pupils from Single-sex schools. It was further concluded that the girls were more strongly guided by their attitudes when making their subject-choice decisions. In the longitudinal study, reasons were suggested for pupils either taking or dropping mathematics and physical science. The introduction of algebra in the first year of high school presented a problem to pupils. In physical science, electricity was singled out as giving the subject a male bias. Socialization influences in the home were the main issue dealt with from the parent interviews . Sex-roles and stereotypes were dealt with in depth. Recommendations were made involving classroom strategies, curriculum possibilities, school policies and further research
- Full Text:
- Authors: Ilsley, Jeffrey Robert
- Date: 1988
- Subjects: Sex differences in education -- South Africa Education, Secondary -- Curricula -- South Africa Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa Physical sciences -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- Psychological aspects Physical sciences -- Study and teaching -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1869 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004750
- Description: The disparate numbers of boys and girls who elect to continue with mathemalics and/or physical science in the higher slandards of the school system has recently attracted much research atlention and the complexity of the interrelaledness of causal factors has become obvious. The broad aim of the study was to investigale the significant drop-out rate of girls at the end of the junior secondary phase of education (approximate age of fourteen lo fifteen). This was to be carried out for mathematics and physical science and undertaken using a cross-sectional and a longitudinal study. The cross-sectional study entailed administering mathematics and physical science attitude questionnaires to 3531 standard six, seven and eight pupils from 4 co-educational, 2 allgirls' and 2 all-boys' schools, from middle and upper socioeconomic communities with similar language and cultural backgrounds . The longitudinal study involved pupils from two coeducational schools and one all-girls' school. It was a progressively-focused study starting with questionnaires administered to 358 standard six girls and boys, narrowing down to questionnaires and interviews used with 50 girls and 28 boys in standard seven and finally to interviews with 10 girls from standard eight. The parents of these ten girls were interviewed at the end of the study. The attilude questionnaires yielded strong sex differences which favoured the boys in both subjects for all the attitudes measured and also pointed to a progressive deterioralion of altitudes over the three-standard span. They also established significant differences in attitudes which favoured the pupils from Single-sex schools. It was further concluded that the girls were more strongly guided by their attitudes when making their subject-choice decisions. In the longitudinal study, reasons were suggested for pupils either taking or dropping mathematics and physical science. The introduction of algebra in the first year of high school presented a problem to pupils. In physical science, electricity was singled out as giving the subject a male bias. Socialization influences in the home were the main issue dealt with from the parent interviews . Sex-roles and stereotypes were dealt with in depth. Recommendations were made involving classroom strategies, curriculum possibilities, school policies and further research
- Full Text:
Sequence in the mathematics syllabus : an investigation of the Senior Secondary Mathematics Syllabus (July 1984) of the Cape Education Department attempting to reconcile the demands of the strictly mathematical order and the developmental needs of pupils, modified by the mathematical potential of the electronic calculator : some teaching strategies resulting from new influences in the syllabus
- Authors: Breetzke, Peter Roland
- Date: 1988
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa , Calculators , Mathematics -- South Africa -- Outlines, syllabi, etc.
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1364 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001430
- Description: This study was motivated by the latest revision of the mathematics syllabuses of the Cape Education Department. The most important changes to content in the Senior Secondary Mathematics Syllabus (July 1984) are the introduction of calculus and linear programming, the substitution of a section on analytical geometry for vector algebra and the recall of the remainder and factor theorems. The way in which these changes were introduced left the task of integrating them into the teaching process in the hands of individual teachers. This is a task of extreme importance. If one's classroom practice is to simply plough one's way through the syllabus, one loses many opportunities to make the study of mathematics meaningful and worthwhile. Accepting the view of the spiral nature of the curriculum where one returns to concepts and procedures at increasing levels of sophistication, one needs to identify the position of topics in this spiral and to trace their conceptual foundations. Analytical geometry is in particular need of this treatment. Similarly there are many opportunities for preparing for the introduction of calculus. If the teaching of calculus is left until the last moments of the Standard 10 year without proper groundwork, the pupil will be left with little time to develop an understanding of the concepts involved. It is the advent of calculators which presents the greatest challenge to mathematics education. We ignore this challenge to the detriment of our teaching. Taken seriously calculators have the potential to exert a radical influence on the content of curricula and examinations. They bring into question the time we spend on teaching arithmetic algorithms and the priority given to algebraic manipulation. Numercial methods gain new prominence. Calculators can even breathe new life into the existing curriculum. Their computing power can be harnessed not only to carry out specific calculations but also to introduce new topics and for concept reinforcement. The purpose of this study has been to bring about a proper integration of the new sections into the existing syllabus and to give some instances of how the calculator can become an integral part of the teaching/learning process
- Full Text:
- Authors: Breetzke, Peter Roland
- Date: 1988
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa , Calculators , Mathematics -- South Africa -- Outlines, syllabi, etc.
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1364 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001430
- Description: This study was motivated by the latest revision of the mathematics syllabuses of the Cape Education Department. The most important changes to content in the Senior Secondary Mathematics Syllabus (July 1984) are the introduction of calculus and linear programming, the substitution of a section on analytical geometry for vector algebra and the recall of the remainder and factor theorems. The way in which these changes were introduced left the task of integrating them into the teaching process in the hands of individual teachers. This is a task of extreme importance. If one's classroom practice is to simply plough one's way through the syllabus, one loses many opportunities to make the study of mathematics meaningful and worthwhile. Accepting the view of the spiral nature of the curriculum where one returns to concepts and procedures at increasing levels of sophistication, one needs to identify the position of topics in this spiral and to trace their conceptual foundations. Analytical geometry is in particular need of this treatment. Similarly there are many opportunities for preparing for the introduction of calculus. If the teaching of calculus is left until the last moments of the Standard 10 year without proper groundwork, the pupil will be left with little time to develop an understanding of the concepts involved. It is the advent of calculators which presents the greatest challenge to mathematics education. We ignore this challenge to the detriment of our teaching. Taken seriously calculators have the potential to exert a radical influence on the content of curricula and examinations. They bring into question the time we spend on teaching arithmetic algorithms and the priority given to algebraic manipulation. Numercial methods gain new prominence. Calculators can even breathe new life into the existing curriculum. Their computing power can be harnessed not only to carry out specific calculations but also to introduce new topics and for concept reinforcement. The purpose of this study has been to bring about a proper integration of the new sections into the existing syllabus and to give some instances of how the calculator can become an integral part of the teaching/learning process
- Full Text:
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