Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge and the Teaching of Statistics in Secondary Schools in Wakiso District in Uganda

Marjorie Sarah Kabuye Batiibwe

doi:10.7176/jep/10-25-10

Abstract

Statistics is one of the most dynamic, rapidly growing and highly pertinent disciplines today and therefore, this study investigated teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and the teaching of statistics in secondary schools in Wakiso District in Uganda. PCK was contextualized as teachers’ general knowledge, pedagogical knowledge (PK) and content knowledge (CK). The sample of the study consisted of 60 secondary school mathematics (statistics) teachers. Data sources were the self-administered questionnaire, document analysis (schemes of work and lesson plans), classroom observations and post-lesson interviews. While quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Linear Correlation Coefficients, qualitative data were analyzed using categorization and narratives. The findings of this study showed that there was no relationship between the teachers’ PCK and the teaching of statistics. Mathematics teachers teach statistics theoretically and the implication for practice is that a lot of training has to equip them with statistical knowledge. It was recommended that Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), teachers and researchers collaborate together to uplift the standards of teaching of statistics in the country. Keywords: Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Statistics, Teaching, Uganda DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-25-10 Publication date :September 30 th 2019

Highlights

Statistics is one of the most dynamic, rapidly growing and highly pertinent disciplines today
Whereas the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) syllabus (UNEB, 2005, p.106) argues that at ordinary level (“O” level), “mathematics should be visualized as a vehicle for aiding a student to think, reason and articulate logically”, statistics does not stand out as a subject in its own right but is rather embedded in the miscellaneous applications
1 and 2, the teachers’ general knowledge and teaching statistics had overall means of 3.36 and 3.09 respectively. These values indicate that teachers neither disagreed nor agreed to items rating their general knowledge and teaching statistics

Summary

Introduction

Statistics is one of the most dynamic, rapidly growing and highly pertinent disciplines today. Whereas the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) syllabus (UNEB, 2005, p.106) argues that at ordinary level (“O” level), “mathematics should be visualized as a vehicle for aiding a student to think, reason and articulate logically”, statistics does not stand out as a subject in its own right but is rather embedded in the miscellaneous applications. Percentage scores (Number of Total Scores) Lesson plan 35.0 (07). Percentage scores (Number of Participants with them). The rush left them with no opportunity to explain the nature of statistics and the aims of teaching it. They rather insisted on formulae and calculations such that students could be able to pass their final examinations.

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Discussion

Conclusion