Die effek van die probleemoplossingsbenadering op leerders se prestasie in Wiskundige Geletterdheid

EN: The poor performance in Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy in South Africa motivated me to do research to investigate possible solutions to the problem. The failing rate of Mathematics in 2014 during the Grade 12 final examination increased between 5% and 6% (Volmink, 2015) and Mathematical Literacy's failure rate increased by 20% in the same year during the Grade 12 final examination (Volmink, 2015) which was disturbing. I started studying the results of the TIMSS and observed that countries such as Korea are doing well in Mathematics because they apply the problem-based learning approach in the schools and this motivated me to investigate whether this is not the possible solution to the problem in South Africa. The main aim of the study was to determine to what extent the problem-based learning approach enables learners to perform better in Mathematical Literacy after being exposed to problem-based learning for six months. The research group consisted of Grade 11 learners at a Namaqualand high school. The learners were taught through traditional mathematics teaching methods up to grade 10 and their marks had always been weak. In December 2016, their pass rate in Mathematical Literacy for Grade 10 was 17%. As the Grade 11 mathematical literacy teacher, I decided to use the problem-based learning approach as my teaching strategy. I also decided to make use of the opportunity to utilize problem-based learning as the teaching strategy for this study and to evaluate its usefulness as teaching strategy. An action research design was used as it enabled me to sensibly bring practice and theory together and to study the growth and development of participants involved in the study. Data collection combined quantitative data collection with qualitative data collection. The research consisted of two quantitative evaluation phases and a intervention teaching phase. The learners completed a Mathematical Literacy Test at the beginning of the year, without any assistance. In this activity, their skills and knowledge of the Grade 10 curriculum was assessed. The marks were recorded on a class list and compared to the results of an equivalent test six months later after the learners had exposure to problem-based learning. After six months of exposure to problem-based learning, the learners completed an equivalent knowledge test. The knowledge tests provided descriptive data of learners’ progress over the six months intervention period. The result of each question of the test is shown separately on different graphs and subsequently discussed. Since Mathematical Literacy Education not only involves solving problems, I have also included aspects related to character development in the class situation as part of my research design. For this reason, I conducted interviews with groups of students on their experiences before and after being exposed to problem-based learning in mathematics literacy. Audio recordings were made of the interviews in which fifteen volunteer learners individually participated. Informed consent from the parent was obtained. From the interview data collected and analysed, it emerged that the learners' skills and attitude towards the subject Mathematical Literacy improved over the six month period. Extensive field notes were kept of the teaching intervention and the examples used in problem-based learning are presented in the study. Each topic assessed in the knowledge test were taught through problem-based learning and evaluated in class. This was aimed at assessing the progress of the learners during the activities they did in class. The analysis of the various data sources revealed that the problem-based approach to the teaching of Mathematical Literacy does hold the prospect of improved performance in Mathematics Literacy.