Differences in Mathematics Teachers’ Perceived Preparedness to Demonstrate Competence in Secondary School Mathematics Content by Teacher Characteristics

A sample of 300 mathematics teachers drawn from a population of 1500 participated in this study. The participants were selected using systematic random sampling and stratified random sampling (stratified by qualification and gender). The data was collected using self-report questionnaires for mathematics teachers.  One tool was used to collect data; Teachers Preparedness Questionnaire (TPQ) for mathematics. The instruments were validated by experts in the department of Curriculum, Instruction and Education Management. The instruments were pilot tested and reliability coefficient was calculated and found to be 0.83, which is above the required threshold coefficient of 0.70, Cronbach alpha in social science research. The collected data was analysed using both descriptive (means and percentages) and inferential statistics (ANOVA and t-test) to establish differences in teacher’s perceived preparedness to demonstrate competence to implement secondary school mathematics content by Teaching Experience, qualification and Gender. To establish whether there were statistically significant differences in mathematics teachers’ perceived preparedness by qualification, ANOVA was used. The hypotheses were tested at coefficient Alpha (α) level of 0.05. The test of differences show that there is a statistically significant difference in teachers’ perceived preparedness to implement secondary school mathematics content by teaching experience; however there is no statistically significant difference by teacher qualification and gender. Keywords: Mathematics Content, Teaching Experience, Qualification, Gende

Teachers’ Perception of their preparedness to apply Facilitation Teaching in Secondary School Mathematics instruction by teacher Characteristics

This study set out to find out the differences in teachers perception of their preparedness to apply facilitation methods in teaching secondary school mathematics. Facilitation methods allow learners to be actively involved in the teaching and learning of mathematics hence making them be co-creators of knowledge. Facilitation teaching allow learners to form schemes of knowledge by being self-directed and self-driven in inquiry, problem solving, engaging in interactive skills, experimentation and independent study. The study applied Ex Post Facto research, Causal Comparative Research Design. There was a population of 1500 mathematics teachers in Rift Valley Province. A sample of 300 mathematics teachers drawn from this population participated in the study. The participants were selected using systematic random sampling and stratified random sampling (stratified by qualification). The data was collected using self-report questionnaire for mathematics teachers. The instruments were validated by experts in the department of Curriculum, Instruction and Education Management. The instruments were pilot tested and reliability coefficient was estimated and found to be 0.83, which is above the required threshold value of 0.70, Cronbach alpha in social science research. The collected data was analysed using both descriptive (means and percentages) and inferential statistics (ANOVA and t-test) to establish differences in teacher preparedness to teach secondary school mathematics using Facilitation approach by Teaching Experience, qualification and Gender. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 Alpha (α) level. The findings of this study show that teachers perceive themselves to be prepared to apply Facilitation Methods to teach Secondary school mathematics. The findings also indicated a statistical difference in teachers’ preparedness to apply facilitation by teaching experience and qualification. There was however no significant difference by Gender. The results would be expected to inform practice and advice policy makers on improvement of teacher training programs and also designing of appropriate in-service training programmes for practising mathematics teachers. Key Words: Facilitation teaching, Teaching Experience, Qualification, Gender, Mathematics

Effects of Experiential Learning Approach on Students’ Mathematical Creativity among Secondary School Students of Kericho East Sub-County, Kenya

Mathematics is a subject which seeks to understand patterns that permeate both the world around us and the mind within us. There are many ways of thinking and the kind of thinking one learns in mathematics is an ability to handle abstraction and solve problems that require knowledge of mathematics. Mathematical creativity is essential for scientists. Creativity is one of the goals of teaching mathematics in schools. This study investigated the Effects of Experiential Learning Approach on students’ mathematical creativity in Kericho East Sub-County. The topic Statistics I was taught to Form Two since it is one of the topics that is poorly performed according to KNEC reports on KCSE.  Solomon Four Non Equivalent Control Group Design under the quasi-experimental research was used. A random sample of four co-educational district secondary schools was drawn from schools in Kericho East Sub-County. Each school provided one Form Two class. This translated to a total of 168 students. In the experimental groups Experiential Learning Approach (ELA) was used while Conventional Teaching Methods (CTM) was used in the control groups. One experimental and one control group was pre tested. At the end of the treatment all the four groups were post tested using Mathematical Creativity Test (MCT). The instruments were validated with the help of experts in the Department of Curriculum Instruction and Education Management of Egerton University and mathematics teachers from selected secondary schools. MCT was pilot tested to estimate its reliability coefficient using Cronbach alpha which was found to be 0.778. Descriptive as well as inferential statistics were used in data analysis. These included mean score and ANOVA.  All statistical tests were subjected to test of significance at alpha (α) level of 0.05. The results revealed that ELA had a significant effect on students’ mathematical creativity. The findings of the study are expected to assist mathematics teachers to adjust their instructional strategies and also teacher trainers may use the information from the study to sensitise in-service and pre-service mathematics teachers on the importance of Experiential Learning strategies in enhancing Mathematical Creativity. The findings may also be used as a basis for future research in Mathematics Education. Keywords: Mathematical Creativity, Experiential Learnin