The Teaching and Learning of Data-Handling in Primary Schools: South African Experience

Abstract

South Africa has achieved a lot in term of accessibility to education. According to the Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE, 2008), almost all children of school-going age (7 to 13 years) are enrolled in schools in South Africa. However, there are still some gaps between success and access in term of performance in some subjects especially mathematics. In fact the results of students in mathematics according to the Southern Eastern African Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality (SACMEQ) were of great concern. Therefore, the study explores some factors that affect the teaching and learning of data handling in mathematics at primary school. The study succinctly examines factors such as inability of the educators to explain and understand the curriculum according to Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS) that is, Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK); Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) and Pedagogic Knowledge (PK), lack of qualified teachers to teach mathematic, lack of mathematics problem solving skills, language difficulties, inadequate statistical qualifications, and poor mastery of the prerequisite skills, fact and concepts. The study however, recommends among others that; the mathematics teachers should endeavour to identify what constitute challenges in mathematics. Especially in data handling oriented concepts, and devote more time to each of them in order to enhance students achievement, government needs to intensify teacher development to prepare educators for the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) and pay special attention to the training of principals/educators

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p814