Abstract
Learners have different values, which could affect their learning and eventually their performance in mathematics. However, many teachers are unaware of these values. Therefore, this paper reports on a study that established the values learners consider as important in the learning of mathematics. The participants were 274 Grade 9 learners, selected purposively from one school in Gauteng, South Africa. An exploratory quantitative research method was adopted and data were collected with a standardised questionnaire developed by Seah (2011b). The results revealed that learners value 1) Hard work and effort when doing mathematics; 2) Various different methods to obtain the answer to a mathematics problem; 3) Authentic examples of shapes to understand their properties; 4) Demonstration and explanation of mathematics concepts and proofs; and 5) Teaching and explaining mathematical concepts. This paper highlights the values teachers should consider in the teaching and learning of mathematics in order to ensure better learner performance in mathematics. Furthermore, the paper adds to research on values in Mathematics Education within a South African context.
Highlights
Worldwide there is a concern about the poor performance in mathematics at school level (Jerrim, 2015; Spaull, 2013)
A possible reason for poor performance could be that teachers are ignorant about what values learners consider as important in the learning of mathematics
The identification of values that learners view as important in their learning of mathematics could assist in categorising these values according to mathematics education aspects, which, in turn, could lead to better performance
Summary
Worldwide there is a concern about the poor performance in mathematics at school level (Jerrim, 2015; Spaull, 2013). Simkins (2013), Spaull (2013) and Taylor (2011) claim that the performance in mathematics of the average South African Grade 9 mathematics learner is two years behind that of the average Grade 8 learner from other comparable middle-income countries, such as Botswana and Honduras. From 2012 to 2014 the average mathematics marks of Grade 9 learners have fluctuated between 11% and 13%, which besides being low, implies that schools are not producing the expected results (Department of Basic Education, 2014). Andersson, Bishop and Clarkson (2016) consider values in mathematics as fundamental in facilitating effective learning and, as such, teachers should know what values are important for their students
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