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Browsing Education by Author "Baloyi-Mothibeli, Seipati Lydia"

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    Phenomenological study of practitioners’ lived mathematical play practices in an early childhood care and education setting
    (University of the Free State, 2022) Baloyi-Mothibeli, Seipati Lydia; Okeke, C. I. O.; Ugwuanyi, C. S.
    Globally, research indicates growing interest in mathematics-related play in early childhood settings; this is also the case in the informal settlements of Mangaung in the Motheo District. This interest has its roots in the poor performance of learners in mathematics when they reach formal education, particularly in the foundation phase. The aim of this study was to carry out a phenomenological investigation of practitioners’ lived mathematics play practices in early childhood care and education settings. The study is located in Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory, which maintains that children acquire knowledge best if there is scaffolding and mediation by more knowledgeable others. Vygotsky defined the more knowledgeable other as someone who has a better understanding or higher ability levels than the child on a particular task, process, or concept. Therefore, language and environment play a major role in the child’s process of new knowledge creation. Vygotsky believed that knowledge is first acquired interpersonally, as the child learns from others, then internalises knowledge; the process takes place in the zone of proximal development (ZPD). Vygotsky explains ZPD as the distance between what children can do by themselves, and what they can achieve with competent assistance by more knowledgeable others. Additionally, the study employed an interpretive qualitative research paradigm and a phenomenology design. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, observations and journal entries by the researcher. A purposeful sample of 10 practitioners who were teaching in five early childhood care and education setting took part in the study. Data generated were analysed through the lens of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and a thematic approach, through which subthemes emerged. The finding of this study is that practitioners’ lived mathematics play practices in ECCE settings were compromised, as they are not adequately qualified in this context. It is concluded that, through proper teacher development programmes and obtaining adequate qualifications, practitioners’ lived mathematics play-based learning can be enhanced. Therefore, it is recommended that local higher education institutions design and offer a qualification that is adequate for ECCE practitioners, and which incorporates curriculum content that is supposed to be taught to children in this environment to enhance mathematics play-based learning.
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    A strategy to improve professional curriculum practice in a Grade R mathematics class
    (University of the Free State, 2018-12) Baloyi-Mothibeli, Seipati Lydia; Tshelane, M. D.; Daries, G.
    The aim of the study was to design a strategy to improve professional curriculum practice in a Grade R mathematics class. In order to achieve this aim, the following objectives were highlighted throughout the study: to demonstrate and validate the need to design a proposed strategy, to identify the components necessary for the successful implementation, to explore a conducive environment for the success of the strategy, to anticipate possible threats that may hinder the successful implementation of the strategy, as well as to monitor evidence that the strategy was successful. Grade R teachers are expected to engage with professional curriculum practice, thus, to improve the performance of learners in mathematics classes. However, they are inadequately qualified, and there is a shortage of teaching and learning resources. Additionally, there is insufficient parental involvement in the education of their children, lack of support from education authorities, and inadequate language of teaching and learning in Grade R mathematics classes. Bricolage as theoretical framework underpinned the study was employed. The theory enabled us as a team to use whatever material was available in the particular context to recreate the new processes and artefacts necessary to achieve a transformational and emancipatory agenda. As a researcher, I realised that I did not have the expertise necessary to design a proposed strategy alone. Therefore, participatory action research (PAR) was employed to generate data. This approach was used because it observes participants as humans, not as objects and aims at improving the lives of people, so that they can fit in and contribute to the education community. During the PAR process, data was gathered from consultative meetings, discussions, audio, audio-visual, photovoice and transect-walk, recordings, and reflections. Critical discourse analysis was used to analyse the generated data, through text and spoken words, social structure and discursive practices, in order to show how power, domination and control can be applied and be resisted in daily communication. Among the findings are that Grade R teachers seem to be helpless, as their understanding of mathematics is limited, and they are unable to engage with professional curriculum practice in a Grade R mathematics class due to inadequate qualifications. Finally, the main recommendation is for further research is to answer the following question: Why is Grade R class, as the essential year of early childhood development, is it not part of the bigger picture of when coming to curriculum planning and design?