Mogege Mosimege

This study investigates the impact of school insecurity on the mathematics performance of secondary school students in the Nsukka Education Zone, Enugu State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was employed with a population of 9,651 students from 61 public secondary schools. A sample of 423 students (215 males and 208 females) was selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using the impact of school insecurity questionnaire (ISIQ) which had a reliability index of 0.84 through Cronbach’s alpha. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 28 with mean and standard deviation addressing research questions and t-tests testing hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. The results indicate that school insecurity significantly hampers students’ mathematics performance. However, no significant gender-based differences were found in its impact. The study concludes that fostering secure school environments and implementing anti-insecurity policies are crucial for improving students’ mathematics achievement. The findings highlight the need for school administrators, policymakers, and communities to collaborate in addressing insecurity issues to enhance educational outcomes and equity in Nigeria’s secondary school system.

This study addresses the integration of AI-based technologies in education, focusing on secondary school mathematics classrooms. As technology shapes the education landscape, understanding students' perceptions becomes crucial. This research explores secondary school students' views on integrating AI-based ChatGPT in their mathematics education. Employing a mixed-methods design, the study used purposive sampling to select 125 students from senior classes 1, 2, and 3 in two schools. Data were collected through a questionnaire with Likert scale items and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative responses were thematically analysed. Results revealed students' multifaceted perspectives, highlighting benefits and concerns. Students valued ChatGPT's role in enhancing understanding and problemsolving but expressed reservations about its consistent use and potential limitations. Preferences for adaptive responses and customisation tailored to individual learning styles are evident. Recommendations include comprehensive training, enhancing ChatGPT's adaptability, fostering critical inquiry, addressing ethical considerations, and collaborative policy development.

The study investigated how blended learning affected secondary school students’ achievement and retention in mathematics. The study used a non-equivalent control group pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design. The participants in the study were learners drawn from two secondary schools purposively chosen. Using a simple random sampling technique, the SS 1 classes from each school were then divided into experimental and control groups. Learners in the experimental group utilised the blended learning approach, whereas those in the control group utilized the conventional method. The groups received a pretest in week 1, followed by a 4-week intervention period. A posttest was administered in week 6, and a retention test (post-post-test) occurred 4 weeks after the posttest. The Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT), which has a reliability score of 0.86, was used for data collection. Data were analysed and the study questions were reported using the mean and standard deviation, and the hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance. Results revealed that learners tutored mathematics utilising blended learning improved their mathematics achievement and retention scores more than learners tutored utilising the conventional means. Results indicated no significant gender disparity in the mean achievement scores of learners tutored mathematics utilising blended learning. Results also showed a significant gender difference in the mean retention scores of learners who learnt mathematics using blended learning, favouring female students. Based on the findings, recommendations were made.

A história e o desenvolvimento da pesquisa e atividades em Etnomatemáticas na África do Sul remontam a 1995, quando o primeiro projeto de pesquisa etnomatemática foi realizado. Após esse projeto de pesquisa seminal, projetos de pesquisa em Etnomatemática foram realizados por pesquisadores e estudantes de pós-graduação em diferentes universidades. Esforços para avançar a pesquisa em Etnomatemática também foram realizados sob os auspícios da Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa. Este artigo relata esses desenvolvimentos em Etnomatemática, destacando o progresso feito e os desafios vivenciados. O artigo conclui indicando o que precisa ser feito para melhorar e avançar o interesse e as atividades de pesquisa em Etnomatemática na África do Sul. Palavras-chave: Etnomatemática, Currículo de Matemática, Sistemas de Conhecimento Indígenas, Professores em Formação, Educação Matemática

This study explored Grade 12 learners’ misconceptions and errors when solving inequalities. A test on Inequalities was administered to a randomly selected sample of 50 Grade 12 learners in Sekhukhune District, South Africa. A rubric was used to guide the assessment and scoring of learners’ scripts. Ten (10) learners were purposively selected based their test responses for interviews to explain their errors, misconceptions and reasoning. Results indicated that learners’ errors are due to misunderstandings from prior learning and insufficient mathematical content knowledge. Misconceptions and errors recorded from learners’ work include: learners solved inequalities as equations, treated inequality signs as an equal sign, and multiplying both sides of inequalities involving fractions by a variable. Learners had challenges in presenting solutions of inequalities using graphical and number lines. The study recommends that teachers should make an effort to understand learners’ thought processes and use this understanding to anticipate learners’ misconceptions and errors and prescribe remediation corrective strategies.

This study aimed at determining the effect of flipped classroom approach on mathematics achievement and interest of students. Given this, a quasi-experimental design was used, specifically non-equivalent pretest-posttest control group design. The study’s population comprised six hundred and seventy-three seniors in class one (SS 1) from Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area in Enugu State. The study’s participants were a sample of 86 learners selected from two schools purposively. Each school had two SS 1 classes, divided into experimental and control groups via balloting. Data were gathered through the instrumentality of the Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) and Mathematics Interest Inventory (MII), which have reliability scores of 0.88 and 0.79, respectively. Prior to and following a six-week course of treatment, each group completed a pretest and posttest. SPSS, a statistical tool for social sciences, was applied to analyse the acquired data. The mean and standard deviation were utilised to report the study’s questions, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was utilised to evaluate the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. Results established that learners taught mathematics utilising flipped classroom approach had higher mathematics achievement and interest scores than their peers taught using the conventional approach. Results also revealed that the achievement and interest scores of male and female learners who received mathematics instruction using flipped classroom approach were the same. Considering the findings, recommendations were given, among others, that mathematics teachers should use the flipped classroom approach to assist learners in boosting their achievement and interest in mathematics, especially in geometry.

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their mathematical pedagogical content knowledge and to determine effect of demographic variables (Gender, year of study) on their mathematical pedagogical content knowledge. A Likert scale questionnaire was used to collect data from 104 pre-service teachers. Descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U-test were used to examine pre-service teachers’ perceived knowledge of teaching strategies, mathematical language and symbols, misconceptions, curriculum, and their perceived knowledge of learners. Results show that in general, majority pre-service teachers have strong perceptions of their mathematical pedagogical content knowledge. They consider lesson planning, purpose of the mathematics curriculum and assessment tools used in a mathematics classroom as important aspects of their perceived knowledge of the curriculum. It was also revealed that their perceived knowledge of misconception would enable them to know and anticipate their learners’ misconceptions. However, results also indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in pre-service teachers’ mathematical pedagogical content knowledge based on gender and year of study. Study implications are also discussed.