Nothile Kunene

PhD (Mathematics Education), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusThe absence of talk in the classroom shows a gap in the level of syntactic knowledge which relates most centrally to mathematical modes of inquiry and the kinds of practices that point towards the practices of Mathematics as a discipline. Issues of learners’ abilities of word problem-solving, abilities of sense making, the art of argumentation and discussion in mathematics classrooms emerged as issues of concerns too, and were explored in this study. This study sought to explore the use of argumentative writing frames (AWFs) in a case of G word problem-solving in Grade 7 classrooms, and how it influenced the learners’ academic performance in Mathematics. This study followed an interpretive mixed-method case study design. I sought to explore the case of learners’ utterances as they solved word problems in their natural setting (classroom). Within the mixed method approach, I also used a pre-test – intervention – post-test (PIP) making use of quantitative and qualitative data. The data collection strategies used in this study included tests experimental group [42]) and (comparison group [n=36], learners’ focus groups with the experimental group [n=11], and intervention (video and exercise books) with the experimental group in Montshiwa Township in the North-West Province. The study is methodically underpinned by the pragmatic paradigm that asserts the construction of knowledge and meaning from different perspectives (researchers and participants), multiple realities, and values attached to the study findings, participants’ utterances, and the use of triangulation, requiring interpretivist and positivist approaches. Data analyses were conducted in an integrated fashion where concurrent triangulation was followed. Data generated from pre- and post-tests, learners’ focus group interviews and the intervention suggest that the interventional strategy appeared to enhance talk (discussions and argumentation), to improve learners’ abilities to solve word problems as well as sense making in the experimental group where there was minimal talk before the intervention. Talk enabled learners to engage in effective discussion and argumentation during teaching and learning. The findings of this study also suggest that the experimental group performed better than the comparison group in the post-test. The experimental group demonstrated a tendency to include reality when solving multiplicative word problems in particular, and consequently improved sense-making abilities. The statistical analysis of Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test delineated statistical significance regarding the intervention: the experimental group (n=42), obtained a bigger median of 15.50 in the post-test from a median = 8, higher than the comparison (n=35) which obtained a median = 13 in the post-test from a median = 8 in the pre-test. The experimental group’s performance in the post-test of item 2.4 was higher (p=0.0100) as compared to the comparison group (p = 0.3613). In item 2.2, the experimental group had a higher performance as it managed to perform the same as the comparison group that earlier demonstrated a significant difference over the experimental performance. The mean of the experimental group (16.78571) and the comparison group was (14.91529) and the difference (1.87042) in favour of the experimental group in the post-test. The experimental group had an observed higher mean and median after the intervention. This implied that the intervention seemed to have favoured the experimental group. Analysis of learners’ interviews suggest that the use of AWFs improved the learners’ comprehension of language in word problems where they felt that teachers should also code-switch when teaching. Learners confirmed that the use of AWFs brought about success or improvement in their performance as far as word problem-solving and taking reality into consideration was concerned. This study has shown that issues of talk, (discussion and argumentation), word problem-solving and sense-making seem to be of utmost importance in the teaching and learning of multiplicative word problems in particular in mathematics classrooms. The reflection from the implementation of the intervention suggests that the use of AWFs yields somewhat positive benefits in the academic performance of a participating group. It is on this basis that any study that investigates on the influences of AWFs can have all types of word problems involved. In addition to this, the nature of the impact of the use of second language learning on learners’ academic performances in word problems should be studied within the contexts of using English as the primary language of learning and teaching in the majority of South African schools. The findings of the study strongly suggest using the AWFs in mathematics classrooms when any topic related to solving (multiplicative) word problems is taught. In doing so, there exists a likelihood of…

Virtual excursions, as an iteration of online-based learning and teaching activities, are become more popular and in this context, SDL could be regarded as an important aspect of the learning process. In this chapter, we aim to explore the overall trends and characteristics from published works on online virtual excursions in terms of SDL from the last 20 years. To this end, this chapter involves a systematic literature review conducted with a corpus of published works carefully screened based on set inclusion criteria related to virtual excursions and SDL. The process then further involved an inductive thematic and structural analysis of the publications. From this research, an overview is presented on thematic and methodological aspects of discourses on virtual excursions, but the chapter also specifically considers how engagement with SDL happens on such platforms. It is evident that the research relating to SDL regarding virtual excursions is fairly limited and that many opportunities exist for future work in this context. The chapter concludes by presenting guidelines and research lacunae, based on the reviewed publications, for setting up virtual excursions that could promote SDL as well as identifying appropriate learning strategies within this context.

The study reported in this article sought to investigate factors that affect learners' academic achievement in Grade 6 mathematics word problems. Furthermore, the article discusses errors made by the learners when they solve word problems. The study used document analysis in a form of learners' written work (or test) in order to collect quantitative data. The results obtained from a test consisting of six word problem tasks showed that learners struggled with realistic considerations of problem statement as well as with making meaning of situations embedded in the task. In brief, reading instructions aloud repeatedly and explaining key mathematical concepts have emerged as key strategies in understanding and solving word problems in mathematics. The study therefore argues that it does not matter how complex or easy a word problem appears to be; what is important is the ability of the brain to connect the mathematics embedded in a problem statement with real-life situations i...