Graad 5-leerders se ervaring van angs gedurende wiskunde-lesaanbieding
Date
2022-04
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van wiskunde as skoolvak is onder meer om die volgende vaardighede by kinders te ontwikkel: probleemoplossing, logiese denke, redenering, kommunikasie en kreatiwiteit. Hierdie vaardighede dra gesamentlik tot hul voorbereiding vir die toekoms by. Wiskunde kan dus gesien word as ʼn noodsaaklike lewensvaardigheid, maar die vermeende uitdagende aspek daarvan dra by baie volwassenes en jong kinders tot ʼn negatiewe assosiasie met die vak by. Gevoelens van angstigheid, ʼn lae selfbeeld en beperkte intrinsieke motivering dra dikwels tot ʼn gebrek aan suksesvolle wiskunde-prestasie in die klaskamer by. Die doel van hierdie studie was om ondersoek in te stel na moontlike negatiewe emosionele ervarings van leerders in die intermediere fase gedurende wiskunde-lesaanbiedings. Die studie is vanuit ʼn interpretivistiese paradigma en met ʼn kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering aangepak. ʼn Teoretiese raamwerk wat Bandura se sosiale kognitiewe teorie en Bronfenbrenner se bio-ekologiese sisteemteorie van ontwikkeling insluit, het as grondslag vir die studie gedien. Twee graad 5-klasse by ʼn hoofstroomlaerskool in die Kaapse Wynland-distrik is genooi om aan die studie deel te neem deur vooraf opgestelde navorsingsvrae te beantwoord. Die graad 5-leerders is deur middel van doelgerigte en gerieflike steekproefneming geidentifiseer en genader om vrywillig aan die studie deel te neem. Twee wiskunde-onderwysers is ook genooi om hulle kennis en insigte in die veld te deel, wat tot die geloofwaardigheid van die studie bygedra het. Nadat die toestemming van leerder-deelnemers se ouers en die leerder-deelnemers se instemming verkry is, het die leerder-deelnemers data gegenereer deur ʼn aantal oop vrae te beantwoord – ʼn reflektiewe aktiwiteit genoem. Die leerders het daarna aan ʼn semigestruktureerde individuele aanlyn-onderhoud op Microsoft TeamsR deelgeneem, wat diepgaande kwalitatiewe data opgelewer het. Die twee wiskunde-onderwysers het hul kennis en ervarings deur middel van diepgaande, semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude gedeel. Die data is
tematies ontleed deur van ʼn rekenaargesteunde sagtewareprogram, genaamd ATLAS.ti8 gebruik te maak. Uit die navorsingsbevindinge het omvattende en ryk insigte na vore gekom. Temas wat tydens die ontledingsproses na vore gekom het, was individuele faktore by leerders en onderwysers wat tot hul ervarings in die wiskunde-klaskamer bygedra het, gedragsfaktore by leerders en onderwysers wat ook tot die bogenoemde bygedra het, omgewingsfaktore wat ʼn invloed op leerders se ervarings van wiskunde-angs uitgeoefen het, asook ʼn tema van verskillende vorme van tyd wat ʼn rol by wiskunde-angs kan speel. Insig in die ervaring van angs tydens wiskundeonderrig het moontlik geword deur te verstaan hoe leerders oor wiskunde dink wanneer hulle onderliggende gevoelens van angstigheid het. Deur die bewuswording van die aanleidende faktore wat wiskunde-angs veroorsaak, het leerders se ervaringe van angstigheid gedurende
wiskunde-lesaanbieding duideliker geword en uiteindelik ook hoe angs in die wiskundeklaskamer die vordering van leerders negatief of positief kan beinvloed. Beskermende faktore is ook geidentifiseer, wat moontlik van hulp kan wees om te verseker dat leerders voldoende vordering in die wiskunde-klaskamer toon, al ervaar hulle onderliggende gevoelens van angstigheid. Die bevindinge van die studie het daarop gedui dat die deelnemende leerders in graad 5 wel soms ʼn mate van angstigheid in die wiskunde-klaskamer ervaar.
ENGLISH SUMMARY: The aim of mathematics as a school subject is to develop the following skills in children, amongst others: problem solving, logical thinking, reasoning, communication, and creativity. Jointly, these skills contribute to preparing them for the future. Therefore, mathematics can be regarded as an essential life skill, but in many adults and young children, the supposed challenging aspect of it contributes to a negative association with the subject. Feelings of anxiety, a low self-image and limited intrinsic motivation often contribute to a poor performance in the mathematics classroom. The aim of this study was to explore possible negative emotional experiences of learners in the intermediate phase during mathematics lessons. The study was undertaken from an interpretivist paradigm and with a qualitative research approach. A theoretical framework that includes Bandura’s social-cognitive theory and Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory of development served as the basis for the study. Two Grade 5 classes at a mainstream primary school in the Cape Winelands District were invited to participate in the study by answering pre-set research questions. The Grade 5 learners were identified by means of purposeful and convenience sampling and approached to participate in the study voluntarily. Two mathematics teachers were also invited to share their knowledge and insights into the field, which contributed to the credibility of the study. After permission of the learner participants' parents and the learner participants' assent had been obtained, the learner participants' generated data by answering a number of open questions – called a reflective activity. After that, the learners participated in a semi-structured individual online interview on Microsoft TeamsR, which produced in-depth qualitative data. The two mathematics teachers shared their knowledge and experience by means of in-depth, semistructured interviews. The data were analysed by using a computer-supported software program called ATLS.ti8. Comprehensive and rich insights came to the fore from the research findings. Themes that came to the fore during the analysis were individual factors in learners and teachers that contributed to their experiences in the mathematics classroom, behavioural factors in learners and teachers that also contributed to the above-mentioned, environmental factors that affected learners’ experiences of math anxiety, as well as a theme of various forms of time that can play a role in math anxiety. Insight into the experience of anxiety during mathematics teaching became possible by understanding how learners think about mathematics when they have underlying feelings of anxiety. Through becoming aware of the contributing factors that cause math anxiety, learners’ experiences of anxiety during mathematics teaching became clearer, and eventually also how anxiety in the mathematics classroom can influence learners’ progress negatively or positively. Protective factors were also identified that can possibly assist in ensuring that learners show sufficient progress in the mathematics class, even if they experience underlying feelings of anxiety. The findings of the study indicated that the participating learners in Grade 5 sometimes did experience some anxiety in the mathematics classroom.
ENGLISH SUMMARY: The aim of mathematics as a school subject is to develop the following skills in children, amongst others: problem solving, logical thinking, reasoning, communication, and creativity. Jointly, these skills contribute to preparing them for the future. Therefore, mathematics can be regarded as an essential life skill, but in many adults and young children, the supposed challenging aspect of it contributes to a negative association with the subject. Feelings of anxiety, a low self-image and limited intrinsic motivation often contribute to a poor performance in the mathematics classroom. The aim of this study was to explore possible negative emotional experiences of learners in the intermediate phase during mathematics lessons. The study was undertaken from an interpretivist paradigm and with a qualitative research approach. A theoretical framework that includes Bandura’s social-cognitive theory and Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory of development served as the basis for the study. Two Grade 5 classes at a mainstream primary school in the Cape Winelands District were invited to participate in the study by answering pre-set research questions. The Grade 5 learners were identified by means of purposeful and convenience sampling and approached to participate in the study voluntarily. Two mathematics teachers were also invited to share their knowledge and insights into the field, which contributed to the credibility of the study. After permission of the learner participants' parents and the learner participants' assent had been obtained, the learner participants' generated data by answering a number of open questions – called a reflective activity. After that, the learners participated in a semi-structured individual online interview on Microsoft TeamsR, which produced in-depth qualitative data. The two mathematics teachers shared their knowledge and experience by means of in-depth, semistructured interviews. The data were analysed by using a computer-supported software program called ATLS.ti8. Comprehensive and rich insights came to the fore from the research findings. Themes that came to the fore during the analysis were individual factors in learners and teachers that contributed to their experiences in the mathematics classroom, behavioural factors in learners and teachers that also contributed to the above-mentioned, environmental factors that affected learners’ experiences of math anxiety, as well as a theme of various forms of time that can play a role in math anxiety. Insight into the experience of anxiety during mathematics teaching became possible by understanding how learners think about mathematics when they have underlying feelings of anxiety. Through becoming aware of the contributing factors that cause math anxiety, learners’ experiences of anxiety during mathematics teaching became clearer, and eventually also how anxiety in the mathematics classroom can influence learners’ progress negatively or positively. Protective factors were also identified that can possibly assist in ensuring that learners show sufficient progress in the mathematics class, even if they experience underlying feelings of anxiety. The findings of the study indicated that the participating learners in Grade 5 sometimes did experience some anxiety in the mathematics classroom.
Description
Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
Keywords
Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- Psychological aspects, Math anxiety, Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary), UCTD