Impact of Professional Development Training Curriculum on Practicing Algebra Teachers

Algebra is a foundation for mathematics reasoning and complex problem-solving which then requires mathematics teachers to have adequate proficiency to make their students understand about it. The mathematics teachers in the Maldives, however, lacked both the algebraic content and pedagogical knowledge. This study aims to present a mathematics professional development training curriculum designed to address the issue of the teachers’ performance in algebra. There were five participants involved in this study who teach mathematics in the sixth grade of elementary school. Desimone’s conceptual model for professional development was used to guide the mathematics professional development for algebra teachers discussed in this paper. This mathematics professional development was found to improve the algebraic content and pedagogical knowledge of the participants, which in turn improved student performance

Algebraic Content and Pedagogical Knowledge of Sixth Grade Mathematics Teachers

Algebra test scores of the Maldivian students from grade 6 through 12 are the lowest compared to any other area of mathematics. Algebra is a fundamental topic in mathematics and lays the foundation for mathematical reasoning and complex problem-solving. Research shows that strengthening algebra instruction could improve student achievement. This concurrent mixed methods study examined the algebraic content and pedagogical knowledge of 5 sixth grade mathematics teachers who teach in 5 different schools across the Maldives. Shulman\u27s major categories of teacher knowledge and Ball, Thames, and Phelps\u27 domains of mathematical knowledge for teaching guided this study. The research questions examined the relationship between teachers\u27 perceptions of their mastery of algebraic content and pedagogical knowledge, and what teachers actually know about algebraic content and pedagogy. Purposive sampling was used to select the 5 participants. Quantitative data were collected using the Diagnostic Teacher Assessments of Mathematics and Science - Middle Mathematics Teacher Assessments and qualitative data were gathered through lesson observations, interviews, and analysis of teachers\u27 lesson plans and notes. All participants believed that they were proficient in both algebraic content and pedagogical knowledge. However, the results of this study showed that all participants lacked both algebraic content and pedagogical knowledge. Findings of this study were used to inform and design mathematics professional development to meet the needs of the participants. This mathematics professional development is expected to improve the instructional delivery of algebra through enhanced algebraic content and pedagogical knowledge. This could positively contribute to the improvement of student achievement in algebra

Quality assurance in higher education in the Maldives: past, present, and future

Quality assurance in higher education is a hot topic with the increased number of students graduating from postgraduate programmes offered by the higher education institutions. This qualitative study aimed to look at the history and the current status of the quality assurance mechanisms in the Maldives; identify its strengths and weaknesses; and make informed recommendations. Critical event narrative inquiry was used and data were collected through interviews and analysis of documents. Content analysis of data collected revealed that Maldives was one of the very first countries in the region to establish such a mechanism and it was very similar to that of Australia. The most significant finding was that the body mandated to assure higher education quality and did not have any power or regulatory authority. Therefore, it is important that the authority be an independent body established by an act of parliament with the regulatory power

Quality assurance in higher education in the Maldives: are we listening to the students?

Students are at the center of higher education which makes it essential that their voices are heard and what students perceive as high quality are known to the providers of higher education. The purpose of this nationwide quantitative survey was to find out what students identified as markers of quality in higher education. As this is the first study of its kind in the country, it is expected that the results of this study would be valuable to higher education institutions and higher education policy makers to cater the need of the students. Responses from 25.17% (N=2580) of the target population were used to statistically analyze the data. Results showed that students identified delivery and teaching methods; amount of contact; feedback; curriculum relevancy and being challenged by what they are learning; awareness and availability of support networks; relationships and interactions; and accessibility and availability of facilities as markers of quality. ********************************************************************************* Pelajar adalah nadi utama yang menggerakkan universiti yang menjadikan ianya satu keperluan untuk suara mereka didengari dan anggapan mereka terhadap kualiti tinggi perlu diketahui oleh institusi pendidikan tinggi. Tujuan tinjauan kuantitatif di seluruh Maldives ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui apakah ukuran kualiti pengajian tinggi bagi tanggapan pelajar. Oleh kerana kajian ini merupakan yang pertama kali dilakukan di negara ini, keputusan kajian dijangka memberi manfaat kepada institusi pengajian tinggi dan pembuat polisi di pengajian tinggi dalam menyediakan keperluan pelajar. Maklum balas daripada 25.17% (N=2580) populasi yang disasarkan digunakan untuk menganalisa data secara statistik menggunakan chi-square test of independence. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa pelajar mengenalpasti kaedah penyampaian dan pengajaran; bilangan perjumpaan; maklum balas; kesesuaian kurikulum and cabaran yang dihadapi dalam pembelajaran; kesedaran dan ketersediaan rangkaian sokongan; hubungan dan interaksi; dan kebolehcapaian dan ketersediaan fasiliti sebagai ukuran terhadap kualiti

Quality assurance in higher education in the Maldives: past, present and future

Quality assurance in higher education is a hot topic with the increased number of students graduating from postgraduate programs offered by the higher education institutions. This qualitative study aimed to look at the history and the current status of the quality assurance mechanisms in the Maldives; identify its strengths and weaknesses; and make data informed recommendations. Critical event narrative inquiry was used and data were collected through interviews and analysis of documents. Content analysis of data collected revealed that Maldives was one of the very first countries in the region to establish such a mechanism and it was very similar to that of Australia. The most significant finding was that the body mandated to assure higher education quality did not have any power or regulatory authority. Therefore, it is important that the authority be an independent body established by an act of parliament with the regulatory power