Examining Mathematical Problem-Solving Beliefs among Rwandan Secondary School Teachers

Abstract

This study explored teachers' beliefs about mathematical problem-solving. It involved 36 identified teachers of Kayonza District in Rwanda via an explanatory mixed-method approach. The findings indicate that most teachers show a positive attitude towards advancing problem-solving in the mathematics classroom. However, they expose different views on its implementation. Role of problem-solving, Mathematical problems, and Problem-solving in Mathematics were identified as main themes. Problem-solving was highlighted as an approach that helps teachers use time adequately and helps students develop critical thinking and reasoning that enable them to face challenges in real life. The study recommends teacher professional development initiatives with their capacity to bring problem-solving to standard.

The Effect of Professional Training on In-service Secondary School Physics 'Teachers' Motivation to Use Problem-Based Learning

“…They found that successful completion of in-service training has a positive and far-reaching impact on professional competence as it improves science curricula implementation and raises science 'teachers' attitudes towards the teaching profession. In the same line, Dorimana et al (2021) found out that most participants, after attending the training, acknowledged having acquired knowledge such as simulation with the PBL process, researching learning topics, and active discussion of how research materials are applied to solve problems. This knowledge acquisition significantly changed 'teachers' initial negative perceptions of PBL and motivated them to apply its principles in real-life scenarios (Zaidi et al, 2010).…”

“…They do not only need instruction but also access to the world to relate the knowledge already possessed with that in the real-world setting (Sterling, 2013). The effectiveness of the use of PBL depends on several factors, including the knowledge teachers have about the whole teaching and learning process (Dorimana et al, 2021).…”

“…It is a learner-centered pedagogy where students learn the subject by experiencing the solution to an open-ended problem found in the trigger material. PBL uses complex real-world topics as classroom material and encourages students to develop problem-solving skills and learn concepts rather than simply absorbing facts (Dorimana et al, 2021).…”

Data collected to measure the impact of problem-based learning and document physics classroom practices among Ugandan secondary schools

“…The current data got a reliability coefficient of .73 Cronbach alpha of internal consistency. The analysis of VASS is done by counting the number of students who selected a certain scale or computing the average of the scale along with each respondent (student) [12] .…”

Game-based learning approach on students’ motivation and understanding of chemistry concepts: A systematic review of literature

“…In fact, there was a need to shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered because it has been proved that learners learn well when they are given the opportunity to learn with their peers instead of sitting passively in their class and listening to the teacher. To achieve this, active learning techniques such as the cooperative learning approach ( Sibomana et al., 2021 ), game-based approach ( North et al., 2021 ), problem-solving approach ( Dorimana et al., 2021 ), and others should be brought to the classroom.…”