knowledge gap between intended and attained curriculum in Ethiopian teacher education : identifying challenges for future development.', Compare : a journal of comparative and international education. .
Mathematics is one of the important disciplines for students to solve day-to-day problems in life. Attitude towards mathematics and mathematics learning is critical for a better learning to happen. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of instructional approaches on attitudes of students towards mathematics learning. Quasiexperiment research was conducted in middle schools at Addis Ababa City Administration, Ethiopia to investigate the use of visualization techniques (VT), problem-based learning approach (PBLA), visualization techniquesassisted problem-based learning (VT-PBLA), and conventional instructional approach (CIA) as instructional approaches and their effect on students' attitude towards learning Mathematics. Four intact classes were selected of which the three were used as intervention groups named intervention group 1 (IG1), intervention group 2 (IG2) and intervention group 3 (IG3) each of which took specific instructional approach as an intervention and a comparison group (CG) that were assigned using simple random sampling techniques. The sample size used were 48, 49, 48, and 47 students, respectively. Both pre and post-attitude Likert scale items were prepared and administered to the respondents before and after the intervention respectively. Paired samples t-test and ANCOVA were employed for analysis, and the results of the study show that the group taught with VT shown statistically significant difference on attitude and on each of the components of attitude, except for engagement. Moreover, the group taught with VT-PBLA also shown to have a statistically significant difference on attitude and their components except for engagement and confidence. PBLA alone did not show any significant mean difference in students' attitude towards learning mathematics and each of the components. The post-intervention comparison also showed significant mean difference between the groups for the overall attitude and the components of attitude except for engagement and confidence. These deviant findings seek further investigation to identify the possible causes or any possible amendments that could account to the instructional approaches.
The purpose of this study was to explore grade eight students' views in terms of different scientific reasoning progress levels. To explore students' views, phenomenographic study was used. The qualitative analysis of students' interviews elicited three major themes of students' views about scientific reasoning progress levels: naïve, mixed, and scientific, along with the underlying ways of reasoning patterns. It was revealed that students think that scientific knowledge is static, fixed, universal, certain, and unchangeable. It is recommended that a need to consider an inquiry-based teaching in combination with the contextualized approach of nature of science in school science curriculum and classroom instruction to promote students' scientific views on the nature of science and higher scientific reasoning abilities.
This study is a quantitative research that examine the extent of alignment of Ethiopian teacher education program curricula with primary school mathematics contents. So, to collect the data, the study was used content analysis as instrument. The sources of data were primary school mathematics syllabi and curricula materials of college of teacher education. To do this, the study employed quantitative method to collect data from pre-service mathematics teachers. Coders were very experienced teacher educators from three different colleges of teacher education: Kotebe Metropolitan University, Hawassa college of teacher education and Arba Minch college of teacher education. Teacher educators were selected purposely based on their service year in college of teacher education and their positiveness for coding. To do the content analysis, the main documents (primary school mathematics syllabi) were coded or broken down in to manageable categories on a variety of theme and then examined using appropriate content analysis theoretical model. The result of the study portrayed that the curricula materials of generalist have low level of alignment with the primary school mathematics contents whereas those of specialist and linear curricula were align with the mathematical contents of primary school curricula in moderate level. As it was indicated in the findings of the study, the college curricula materials are not fully aligned with the contents of primary school mathematics. There are school mathematical contents which are not included in curricula of teacher education. Thus, it is recommended that appropriate program should be designed which create an opportunity for preservice mathematics teachers to access school contents either during practicum sessions or should include in the curricula materials of teacher education.
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