An exploration of pre-service science and mathematics teachers' use of visualisation in a problem solving context : a case study at a South African university.
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Date
2015
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Abstract
The poor performance of learners in Science and Mathematics in South Africa is a persistent cause
for concern to stakeholders in education, and to society at large. Teacher training institutes form
crucial stakeholders in Science and Mathematics education. This has been the underlying
motivation for this case study, which is based on an exploration of pre-service Science and
Mathematics teachers’ use of visualisation within a problem solving context. The study is
grounded in the interpretivist paradigm. The purpose of this study stems from anecdotal evidence
that has showed teachers’ reluctance to teach problem solving because they are unequipped and/or
not confident in solving problems.
The exploration of pre-service Science and Mathematics teachers’ use of visualisation in a problem
solving context revolved around the following critical questions: 1. What do pre-service Science
and Mathematics teachers understand by problem solving within a visualisation context? 2. Why
do pre-service Science and Mathematics teachers choose to use the visualisation strategies they
use when teaching problem solving? 3. How do pre-service Science and Mathematics teachers
plan the use of visualisation when preparing their lessons? The framework used to guide this study
falls within the interpretivist paradigm and the theory used is the metacognition theory. This theory
refers to a higher order of thinking and, simply put, thinking about thinking. In this study, it was
analysed how pre-service teachers view their teaching and what their understanding of
visualisation is within a problem solving context.
The pilot group comprised five pre-service Science and Mathematics teachers at a South African
teacher training institute who were registered for two modules, namely Natural Science Method
Two, and Mathematics Method Two. These modules include the teaching of problem solving. A
purposive sample population of eighty pre-service teachers were invited to participate in this
project, and twelve completed part of the project, while five pre-service teachers participated until
the conclusion of the project.
A qualitative methodological approach was used and pre-service teachers participated in four
stages of data collection. Firstly, a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the
biographical data of the participating pre-service teachers, and their understanding of problem
solving and visualisation. Secondly, a task sheet was administered, which included a Science as
well as a Mathematics selection of problems for the pre-service teachers to solve. All problems
were purposively selected because visualisation methods could have been used to solve them. This
tool was used to decipher what visualisation strategies pre-service teachers use when solving
problems and why they use these strategies. Thirdly, a lesson plan was developed by participants
to enable an exploration of how they taught problem solving using visualisation, as well as what
cognitive processes they used to incorporate visualisation into problem solving. The fourth stage
involved engaging participants in individual, face-to-face interviews. Semi structured interview
schedules were used for both interviews. All responses were analysed and focused on the three
research questions. The findings revealed that the majority of the pre-service teachers understood
visualisation as a set of teaching aids that made solving problems easier. The majority of
participating pre-service teachers solved Mathematics problems accurately when they used a
combination of diagrams and formulae. The responses to the Science problems revealed that the
majority of participating pre-service teachers used formulae instead of diagrams to solve them.
However, the opposite scenario was presented by these participants when they generated their
lesson plans. A greater variety of visualisation strategies were used in the Science lesson plans
than in the Mathematics lesson plans.
The findings show that the use of visualisation in problem solving helped pre-service teachers
solve Science and Mathematics problems successfully. It is anticipated that the pre-service
teachers will take this finding and make use of it in their classes in the near future, which should
in turn develop more competent problem solvers at schooling level.
Description
Master of Education in Science Education. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood 2015.
Keywords
Mathematics teachers -- Training of -- South Africa., Science teachers -- Training of -- South Africa., Problem solving -- Education -- South Africa., Problem-based learning., Theses -- Education.