Learner perceptions on feedback received on performance tasks in mathematics in selected schools from the East London district in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Ngudle, N G
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Effective teaching , Teacher effectiveness
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Ed
- Identifier: vital:16213 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1016499 , Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Effective teaching , Teacher effectiveness
- Description: Feedback has an important role to play in the performance of learners. This study looks to identify the challenges that the learners are faced with when the teachers provide them with feedback and the ways they would like like it to be used in order to see feedback assisting them in their learning and improve their performance. Feedback contributes a lot to assessment and has a close link with performance. The study used the qualitative approach to identify the challenges the learners experience when they receive the feedback from their teachers. The participants were sampled from grade 12 learners in the form of a focus group (seven to ten per school) and individual respondents. The method used semi-structured interviews and portfolio observations to collect the data from two high schools in East London (EL) district to look at the nature of the feedback provided to learners. The data was later analysed and interpreted. It has been identified that for both schools feedback conveyed certain messages to learners such motivation to do better, a need to do better and, lastly, affirmation that the learners are on the right track or they are neglected and left to figure out how to do the tasks. The study discovered that, according to Hattie and Timperley (2007)’ there are four levels of feedback. It was found that for the task level learners from school A mainly received oral feedback which was often seen as denigrating them; however, in school B learners received both the oral and written feedback. They felt that the feedback assisted them to understand the task at hand. They also saw this as a way of building up their confidence in all the tasks they come across. Secondly, in the process level, learners in school A did not report receiving feedback at this level but only oral feedback which does not show their mistakes step by step in the task, yet in school B they reported that they got feedback from their teacher individually to help them understand the task. Thirdly, for the self regulation level, in school A there was no data to confirm this. Regarding school B, learners were being assisted by the feedback they received from their teacher and this caused them to monitor their progress. The fourth and last level is the self or personal evaluation where in school A learners were not able to evaluate themselves because they did not receive written feedback, whereas in school B learners could do that freely referring to the written comments from their teacher. The research therefore concluded that in one of the schools the four levels that the study was looking at were not all addressed and thus no meaningful feedback was given. For school B the teacher gave them the feedback which has contributed a lot in their learning. The study recommends that feedback should not be used for right or wrong answers but it must also state clearly why the learner has obtained such mark or grade and what to do to correct the wrongs. Teachers should consider that learner errors also assist them to have a broader picture on what more they need to do in their subjects. It is also recommended that teachers should consider various strategies in giving feedback and the learners’ work has to be monitored timeously for the purpose of the learning process. Lastly, a good approach when feedback is provided is also important because it builds high self-esteem and develops the teacher-learner approach accordingly.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Ngudle, N G
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Effective teaching , Teacher effectiveness
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Ed
- Identifier: vital:16213 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1016499 , Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Effective teaching , Teacher effectiveness
- Description: Feedback has an important role to play in the performance of learners. This study looks to identify the challenges that the learners are faced with when the teachers provide them with feedback and the ways they would like like it to be used in order to see feedback assisting them in their learning and improve their performance. Feedback contributes a lot to assessment and has a close link with performance. The study used the qualitative approach to identify the challenges the learners experience when they receive the feedback from their teachers. The participants were sampled from grade 12 learners in the form of a focus group (seven to ten per school) and individual respondents. The method used semi-structured interviews and portfolio observations to collect the data from two high schools in East London (EL) district to look at the nature of the feedback provided to learners. The data was later analysed and interpreted. It has been identified that for both schools feedback conveyed certain messages to learners such motivation to do better, a need to do better and, lastly, affirmation that the learners are on the right track or they are neglected and left to figure out how to do the tasks. The study discovered that, according to Hattie and Timperley (2007)’ there are four levels of feedback. It was found that for the task level learners from school A mainly received oral feedback which was often seen as denigrating them; however, in school B learners received both the oral and written feedback. They felt that the feedback assisted them to understand the task at hand. They also saw this as a way of building up their confidence in all the tasks they come across. Secondly, in the process level, learners in school A did not report receiving feedback at this level but only oral feedback which does not show their mistakes step by step in the task, yet in school B they reported that they got feedback from their teacher individually to help them understand the task. Thirdly, for the self regulation level, in school A there was no data to confirm this. Regarding school B, learners were being assisted by the feedback they received from their teacher and this caused them to monitor their progress. The fourth and last level is the self or personal evaluation where in school A learners were not able to evaluate themselves because they did not receive written feedback, whereas in school B learners could do that freely referring to the written comments from their teacher. The research therefore concluded that in one of the schools the four levels that the study was looking at were not all addressed and thus no meaningful feedback was given. For school B the teacher gave them the feedback which has contributed a lot in their learning. The study recommends that feedback should not be used for right or wrong answers but it must also state clearly why the learner has obtained such mark or grade and what to do to correct the wrongs. Teachers should consider that learner errors also assist them to have a broader picture on what more they need to do in their subjects. It is also recommended that teachers should consider various strategies in giving feedback and the learners’ work has to be monitored timeously for the purpose of the learning process. Lastly, a good approach when feedback is provided is also important because it builds high self-esteem and develops the teacher-learner approach accordingly.
- Full Text:
An investigation into challenges facing Further Education Training (FET) leaners in the study of Isixhosa in the Port Elizabeth district
- Authors: Mpofu, Nombulelo Patience
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Xhosa language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) , Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Effective teaching
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DLitt
- Identifier: vital:11840 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1013389 , Xhosa language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) , Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Effective teaching
- Description: The essential function of a language is communication. Effective communication takes place when speakers understand each other‟s language. Speakers of different languages these days stay with each other. This kind of setting results into multilingualism. Multilingualism refers to the use or maintenance of more than one language in a certain context. In this regard it may refer to the fact that many languages are spoken in South Africa. It serves as a natural solution to the problem of language contact that is extremely widespread throughout South Africa and the world at large. The recognition of the multilingual nature of South African society by the Constitution of this country , as (Made 2010) puts it, necessitates the creation of tools of implementation and redress, in the form of appropriate language policies. Such language policies are designed to correct the universal tendency to practise monolingualism in multilingual societies which disempowers non-mother tongue speakers of the dominant language, to the detriment of both their rights as citizens and in communicative equity in exercising these rights. Many Black South Africans took employment in the industrial centres through urbanization, where they learnt many languages such as Fanakalo, English, Afrikaans and many other languages in the African continent. This resulted into linguistic heterogeneity. Heterogeneity brings speakers of languages together at different workplaces, schools and even places of abode.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mpofu, Nombulelo Patience
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Xhosa language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) , Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Effective teaching
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DLitt
- Identifier: vital:11840 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1013389 , Xhosa language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) , Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Effective teaching
- Description: The essential function of a language is communication. Effective communication takes place when speakers understand each other‟s language. Speakers of different languages these days stay with each other. This kind of setting results into multilingualism. Multilingualism refers to the use or maintenance of more than one language in a certain context. In this regard it may refer to the fact that many languages are spoken in South Africa. It serves as a natural solution to the problem of language contact that is extremely widespread throughout South Africa and the world at large. The recognition of the multilingual nature of South African society by the Constitution of this country , as (Made 2010) puts it, necessitates the creation of tools of implementation and redress, in the form of appropriate language policies. Such language policies are designed to correct the universal tendency to practise monolingualism in multilingual societies which disempowers non-mother tongue speakers of the dominant language, to the detriment of both their rights as citizens and in communicative equity in exercising these rights. Many Black South Africans took employment in the industrial centres through urbanization, where they learnt many languages such as Fanakalo, English, Afrikaans and many other languages in the African continent. This resulted into linguistic heterogeneity. Heterogeneity brings speakers of languages together at different workplaces, schools and even places of abode.
- Full Text:
Exploring the practices of school management teams (SMT's) in the promotion of quality teaching and learning: A case study of three rural primary schools in King Williams Town District
- Authors: Blie-Musoke, Nondumiso
- Date: 2012-01
- Subjects: School management teams , Effective teaching
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24671 , vital:63434
- Description: This study sought to investigate the practices that the School Management Teams (SMTs) utilize in promoting and monitoring quality teaching and learning in the rural primary schools. The researcher thought it important due to the fact that such actions form part of their central activities. It also aims to explore the kind of difficulties that may be experienced by these formations in rural settings while supporting quality teaching and learning. The main delineations and limitations of this work was that SMTs are supposed to be operational across the spectrum of schools from the first grade to the last one in the high schools. However, due to time constraints and lack of resources, this study was only carried out in three rural primary schools of the king William’s Town district. SMTs are ideally made up of the Principal, Deputy-Principal and HODs (school heads of Department) of these sampled schools who were interviewed. However, in some of the schools under study, the positions of HOD and deputy-principals had already been abolished. The researcher was informed that this was because they had low numbers of learners. In such instances, Senior Teachers were substituted since they are incorporated in the SMTs of those schools. These educators were purposively selected from the foundation, intermediate and senior phases in each primary school. With the research exploring the practices of the SMTs of three rural primary schools, a case study research design was utilized. The research instruments utilized by the researcher to collect data in this case study were Interviews and Document Analysis. The data collected was put into categories and interpreted into common themes. Sources included responses of the participants, school documents, field notes and other relevant documentation such as minutes of the minutes of the SMTs. Constructs, themes and patterns that speak to the strategies used by SMTs in promoting teaching and learning in schools were explored. Briefly, the main findings indicated that the SMTs of the sampled rural primary schools do understand the Departmental policies, but need to be innovative and create space for the practices that they could employ to promote quality teaching and learning. They seem to be working under difficult circumstances. They are grossly over-loaded as full-time administrators and teachers with many learning areas, as well as being responsible for the school nutrition programme. The vacant posts created by retired caretakers added to the overload. There was a concern about the difficulty they were experiencing in the teaching and learning of Mathematics which is nationally regarded as a scarce skill. As an overview of the researcher’s conclusions, it is noted that the SMTs do support the educators to a certain extent. However, there was no documentation that showed how resolutions were made and implemented to validate the nature of support that they give to them. There seemed to be a lack of meaningful parental involvement in the sampled rural primary schools, possibly due to poverty, lack of education and alcohol abuse in the community. Lastly, it seemed to the researcher that there could be uncertainty and uneasiness about the functionality of the senior teachers. Their job descriptions as members of the SMTs remain vaguely defined. In response to the problem statement posed in this study, six major recommendations were made as follows: • Schools, irrespective of their size, ought to have clerks who are able to deal specifically with office administration and external communications. • The teacher-learner ratio as a means of determining the number of educators a school ought to have, should be reviewed as a matter of urgency, if the vital goal of quality teaching and learning is to be realized. • A clear official mandate concerning the job description of senior teachers ought to be established and their positions advertised in that category. This will ensure their equitable distribution as some schools are having them in excess, while others have none. • The department of Education should work with sister departments in government such as Social Development to enforce the law regarding parental negligence. A data basis of negligence parents should be compiled by the concerned departments and reviewed from time to time. Teachers should attend workshops on various policies that govern their roles in the delivery of quality teaching and learning. They need not be conversant with the subject matter only, but also with the relevant policies as a vehicle that facilitates service delivery in education. The introduction of Mathematics support educators who specialized in the learning area should be introduced in each phase of schooling. Such incumbents would rotate from school to school within a circuit, with special reference to rural schools where they would tackle problematic topics as reported by the educators. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, 2012
- Full Text:
- Authors: Blie-Musoke, Nondumiso
- Date: 2012-01
- Subjects: School management teams , Effective teaching
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24671 , vital:63434
- Description: This study sought to investigate the practices that the School Management Teams (SMTs) utilize in promoting and monitoring quality teaching and learning in the rural primary schools. The researcher thought it important due to the fact that such actions form part of their central activities. It also aims to explore the kind of difficulties that may be experienced by these formations in rural settings while supporting quality teaching and learning. The main delineations and limitations of this work was that SMTs are supposed to be operational across the spectrum of schools from the first grade to the last one in the high schools. However, due to time constraints and lack of resources, this study was only carried out in three rural primary schools of the king William’s Town district. SMTs are ideally made up of the Principal, Deputy-Principal and HODs (school heads of Department) of these sampled schools who were interviewed. However, in some of the schools under study, the positions of HOD and deputy-principals had already been abolished. The researcher was informed that this was because they had low numbers of learners. In such instances, Senior Teachers were substituted since they are incorporated in the SMTs of those schools. These educators were purposively selected from the foundation, intermediate and senior phases in each primary school. With the research exploring the practices of the SMTs of three rural primary schools, a case study research design was utilized. The research instruments utilized by the researcher to collect data in this case study were Interviews and Document Analysis. The data collected was put into categories and interpreted into common themes. Sources included responses of the participants, school documents, field notes and other relevant documentation such as minutes of the minutes of the SMTs. Constructs, themes and patterns that speak to the strategies used by SMTs in promoting teaching and learning in schools were explored. Briefly, the main findings indicated that the SMTs of the sampled rural primary schools do understand the Departmental policies, but need to be innovative and create space for the practices that they could employ to promote quality teaching and learning. They seem to be working under difficult circumstances. They are grossly over-loaded as full-time administrators and teachers with many learning areas, as well as being responsible for the school nutrition programme. The vacant posts created by retired caretakers added to the overload. There was a concern about the difficulty they were experiencing in the teaching and learning of Mathematics which is nationally regarded as a scarce skill. As an overview of the researcher’s conclusions, it is noted that the SMTs do support the educators to a certain extent. However, there was no documentation that showed how resolutions were made and implemented to validate the nature of support that they give to them. There seemed to be a lack of meaningful parental involvement in the sampled rural primary schools, possibly due to poverty, lack of education and alcohol abuse in the community. Lastly, it seemed to the researcher that there could be uncertainty and uneasiness about the functionality of the senior teachers. Their job descriptions as members of the SMTs remain vaguely defined. In response to the problem statement posed in this study, six major recommendations were made as follows: • Schools, irrespective of their size, ought to have clerks who are able to deal specifically with office administration and external communications. • The teacher-learner ratio as a means of determining the number of educators a school ought to have, should be reviewed as a matter of urgency, if the vital goal of quality teaching and learning is to be realized. • A clear official mandate concerning the job description of senior teachers ought to be established and their positions advertised in that category. This will ensure their equitable distribution as some schools are having them in excess, while others have none. • The department of Education should work with sister departments in government such as Social Development to enforce the law regarding parental negligence. A data basis of negligence parents should be compiled by the concerned departments and reviewed from time to time. Teachers should attend workshops on various policies that govern their roles in the delivery of quality teaching and learning. They need not be conversant with the subject matter only, but also with the relevant policies as a vehicle that facilitates service delivery in education. The introduction of Mathematics support educators who specialized in the learning area should be introduced in each phase of schooling. Such incumbents would rotate from school to school within a circuit, with special reference to rural schools where they would tackle problematic topics as reported by the educators. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, 2012
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