Andile Mji

Relationships Between and among Pre-service Mathematics Teachers’ Conceptions, Efficacy Beliefs and Anxiety

Abstract The purpose of this research study was to examine the relationships between and among the conceptions of mathematics, mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs and mathematics anxiety of pre-service students with mathematics as their major subject (mathematics majors). Participants were 130 mathematics majors enrolled in a college of education in South West Nigeria. Internal consistency reliability coefficients from the administered self-report measure were acceptable for all scales. The analyzed results led to the following conclusions: (a) fragmented conceptions had positive associations with personal mathematics teaching efficacy, mathematics teaching outcome expectancy, mathematics evaluation anxiety and learning mathematics anxiety; (b) cohesive conceptions were positively associated with mathematics teaching efficacy; (c) positive associations were established between mathematics teaching efficacy and mathematics anxiety; (d) teaching efficacy and outcome expectancy were predictors of the conceptions of mathematics. Implications of these findings for pre-service mathematics majors are discussed. It is also recommended that educators of pre-service teachers should focus on motivating them and stress the usefulness of mathematics.

Assessment of Secondary School Students' Awareness, Knowledge and Attitudes to Environmental Pollution Issues in the Mining Regions of South Africa: Implications for Instruction and Learning.

In this paper, we compared the levels of awareness, knowledge and attitudes (AKA) about environmental pollution of secondary school students from two South African provinces. The purpose was to determine the levels of AKA between students living under different environmental conditions. These two groups were students from a coal-mining province (Mpumalanga) and those from a non-coal-mining province (Gauteng). Participants were 753 purposively selected students from Grades 8 to 12 from the two the provinces thus: 423 from Mpumalanga province and 330 from Gauteng province. Their ages ranged from 13 to 23 years (M = 16.1; SD = 1.75). They responded to a 36-item awareness, knowledge and attitude questionnaire (r = 0.77) on issues relating to environmental pollution. Data were analysed through computing descriptive statistics followed by unpaired t-tests. Statistically significant differences were established between students from the two provinces with regards to all the environmental variables tested, where students from Mpumalanga province had higher mean scores than their counterparts from Gauteng. Students from both provinces identified newspapers as the most important source of information on environmental pollution.

Health risks of exposure to air pollutants among students in schools in the vicinities of coal mines

Air pollution poses a serious threat to human health and the general ecosystem both in South Africa and globally. This is mostly caused by the mining and combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal. There are some known pollutants associated with coal mining and combustion that are emitted into the air, resulting in various health implications that affect children the most as they are the most vulnerable. In this study, the levels of certain air pollutants in schools in the vicinities of coal mines were assessed. A cross-sectional study design was adopted. Five schools were purposively selected for this study. Air samples were collected inside and outside the classrooms of each school. Radiello® passive air samplers were used to measure the levels of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone while filter pumps were employed for lead (Pb). Standard laboratory analytical methods were employed for the analysis. Estimates of the possible health risks resulting from exposure to airborne sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone were performed using the United States Environmental Protection Agency Human Health Risk Assessment framework. The non-cancer risk of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone was determined using the hazard quotient. The results of this study revealed that sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone were detected within and outside the classrooms at various levels. For example, the concentration of sulphur dioxide within the classroom ranged from 3.0 to 38 µg/m3. Outside the classroom, sulphur dioxide levels detected were much higher ranging from 17 to 84 µg/m3. The results of the non-carcinogenic risks from exposure to nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone via inhalation route were less than 1.0. The elevated levels of these pollutants in the vicinity of schools investigated should be a cause for concern for all the stakeholders in the education sector. Therefore, appropriate measures need to be taken urgently to safeguard the health of the concerned community.

Identifying Some Hindrances to Students' Achievement in Mathematics in South Africa = تحديد بعض العقبات التي تعيق تحصيل الطلبة في الرياضيات في جنوب إفريقيا

لم يكن تحصيل طلبة المرحلة الثانوية في جنوب أفريقيا في الرياضيات مثيرا للإعجاب، ويعزا ضعف التحصيل هذا إلى عدة عوامل. وقد حاولت هذه الدراسة استكشاف العوامل التي تساهم في تدني تحصيل طلبة المرحلة الثانوية في الرياضيات، فجمعت البيانات من (135) معلما من معلمي الرياضيات للمرحلة الثانوية. وقد تبين من تحليل البيانات أن من العوامل التي تؤدي إلى ضعف تحصيل الطلبة في الرياضيات: معرفة المعلم، وضعف الخلفية المعرفية لدى الطلبة في الرياضيات، ونقص مصادر التعليم والتعلم، وعدم مشاركة الآباء في تعليم الطلاب، واتجاهات الطلبة السلبية نحو الرياضيات ، وعدم انضباط الطلبة في أثناء التدريس، وكثرة تغيير مناهج الرياضيات المدرسية، وارتفاع نسبة الطلبة إلى المعلمين، والمعيق اللغوي. وعلى ضوء التوصيات، يوصي الباحث بضرورة البدء بإصلاح السياسات المدرسية بشكل عام، وسياسات تعليم الرياضيات على وجه الخصوص.

Establishing the Reliability and Validity of the Kolb Learning Style Inventory: A South African Perspective

Abstract This paper reports on the reliability and validity of the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (KLSI) 3.1 from a South African perspective. Reliability and internal validity of KLSI 3.1 have been explored in different countries, however not from a South African perspective yet. The inventory was administered to (n=345) mathematics students at a university of technology. Data was collected in two phases. Results revealed acceptable alpha values from each phase. The results also showed that the correlation coefficients computed for the preliminary and post-intervention data phases satisfied the prediction of the experiential learning theory. This suggested that validity was assured. The results reported in this paper complement those reported in literature. It is recommended that further research should be carried out with different mathematics students. It is concluded that the results from exploring learning styles from a South African perspective add to the body of knowledge focusing on learning styles.

Students' and Teachers' Awareness of and Attitude towards Environmental Pollution: A Multivariate Analysis Using Biographical Variables

Abstract The purpose was through a multivariate analysis, to examine students’ and teachers’ environmental Awareness and Attitude in relation to selected biographical data. Participants were Grade 8 to Grade 12 students with ages ranging between 13 years and 23 years (M = 16.5 years, SD = 1.8) as well as their teachers with ages ranging between 23 and 57 (M = 40.6 years, SD = 9.8). All were from schools within a precinct of coal mines and electricity generating power stations; this being industry that characteristically releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. The basis of this investigation was the researchers’ argument that it is important for students in their teenage years to know and be aware of environmental matters because they will grow to be conscious and responsible adults who will take care of their environment. The researchers therefore determined the participants’ biographical factors that had an effect on environmental Awareness and Attitude. An Awareness and Attitude scale comprising 24 - items on a 5 point Likert type format was administered to students and teachers in the first quarter of 2012. Among students, no gender effects were found however, significant effects with respect to age and Attitude, as well as grade level and Awareness were established. For teachers, on the other hand, no significant effects were established for all the biographical variables tested. More pleasing was that teachers had higher scores with respect to environmental Awareness and Attitude compared with their students. The researchers argue that these findings are important because it is the teachers who will hopefully pass the proverbial baton to their students, for them to embrace environmental issues in the air polluted area whence they reside.

Exploring the Psychometric Properties of an Instrument Developed to Measure Students' Views of Effective Mathematics Teaching at High School

Abstract The study reports the development of an instrument on the views about Mathematics Teachers’ effectiveness. Following recommendations from literature on developing instruments, 186 items were initially compiled. This was eventually reduced to a 30-item instrument. The internal consistency of scores from the accepted instrument yielded an alpha value of 0.95. Based on this value reliability was acceptable. Construct validity was established through principal components analysis which yielded acceptable internal consistency alpha values for a six-factor solution. It is concluded that for a newly developed instrument, the results reported in this study are promising. The study recommends that the instrument should be administered in different contexts in order to consolidate and verify the psychometric properties reported here. Following the different studies, confirmatory analyses should then be computed.

Learning styles and approaches to learning mathematics of students majoring in elementary education: a three-year study.

The goal of this 3-yr. study was to explore the learning styles and approaches to learning mathematics of elementary education majors. Two questionnaires, the Learning Style Inventory and the Approaches to Learning Mathematics Questionnaire, were administered to 149 women and 32 men (M = 20.1 yr., SD = 2.1; range = 18-31). All were in their first or second years of college and enrolled in Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers at a Midwestern U.S. university. Results on the Learning Style Inventory indicated that a majority scored as either Accommodators, i.e., they primarily followed learning modes involving Active Experimentation and Concrete Experience, or as Divergers, i.e., approaching learning by focusing on Concrete Experience and Reflective Observation. A weak but statistically significant association was observed on the Approaches questionnaire between the Surface Approach and Reflective Observation.