Explaining mathematics achievement gains in Botswana and South Africa

The purpose of this study is to test empirically whether and how classroom and school factors contribute to student mathematics learning gains in the border region of North West province, South Africa and Southeastern Botswana. Our results suggest that in both regions, improving teaching quality has an important impact on how much mathematics students learn during the year. The amount of effort put into covering the curriculum and teacher mathematics knowledge are also important factors in the learning gains students make in grade 6 classrooms in southern Africa.     

Mathematics achievement,language and cognitive development: Classroom practices in Papua New Guinea

A case study was conducted of mathematics instruction at five sites in Papua New Guinea. Trial instructional materials were developed, teachers received inservice training and implementation was carefully monitored for a six-week period. English and mathematics achievement instruments and eight measures of cognitive development were administered to a sample of 201 students in grades two, four and six. Mathematics and language achievement varied significantly among the five sites. Students at all grade levels exhibited poor application of problem solving skills while showing computation, measurement and mathematical language abilities superior to results previously reported. English reading and measures of conservation and classification competence were highly correlated with mathematics achievement. Correlations between memory measures and mathematics achievement decreased from grade two to grade six while correlations between measures of language and cognitive development and mathematics achievement tended to increase. The results indicated that the non-consumable student textbooks ameliorated to some extent the problems associated with non-native language instruction for the students involved in the study. It was concluded that locally developed textbooks with an appropriate language load would enhance mathematics learning, particularly in remote-rural areas where current teaching conditions and lack of materials interact with poor English skills to create an imbalance in achievement.     

Association of group learning with mathematics achievement and mathematics attitude among eighth-grade students in the US

This study examined a large, nationally-representative sample of eighth-grade students in the US to assess how the frequency of group learning activity in mathematics classrooms was associated with mathematics achievement and three measures of attitudes toward mathematics. Results showed that moderate amounts of group work in class had positive effects on mathematics achievement scores. Moreover, a significant interactive effect was evident, with girls showing greater achievement benefits from group work than boys. Increased levels of group work were also associated with more positive attitudes toward mathematics.     

The politics of free education in Papua New Guinea

In 1981, the members of Papua New Guinea's National Assembly moved that education should become free from Grades 1 to 10 the following year. The motion was partly supported for humanitarian reasons. But in the original debate, and even more strongly during subsequent discussion and attempts at implementation, political factors came strongly to the fore. One fact which was not emphasised, when the parliamentarians originally passed the motion, was that the national government, in a decentralised system, actually had no power to abolish fees; and because of poor organisation and political rivalries, the scheme largely backfired. This paper examines the reasons why the scheme was launched, the reasons for its demise, its implications for social and inter-provincial inequality, and its effects on national-provincial government relations.     

近代移民对巴布亚新几内亚发展的影响

巴布亚和新几内亚地区向具有现代意义上的生产生活方式的过渡是伴随着殖民历程的。随着地理大发现,特别是欧洲工业化的开展,探险家、商人、传教士、行政官员纷纷踏足古老的巴布亚和新几内亚大陆,殖民当局的政策在经济、政治、文化、宗教、教育、医疗卫生等多种社会层面上影响了巴布亚和新几内亚的发展,成为其进入资本主义时代的开端。     

Reform in the financing of higher education in Papua New Guinea

The particularities of history, culture, economy and politics of Papua New Guinea and similar Pacific island and other developing nations place strains upon the formulation and implementation of reform in the financing of higher education (and of education in general). There has been progress in reducing unit costs, with favourable implications for the rate-of-return that links higher educational costs and benefits. Funding constraints continue to elicit calls for reform of higher educational financing and for increased student contributions. Failure to communicate human capital analysis and policy implications for improving efficiency, access, and equity in higher education have hindered reform. The analysis focuses on policy implementation of reform in the financing of higher education in Papua New Guinea, and concludes in favour of a shift in financing away from institutions and toward students.     

The effects of cooperative homework on mathematics achievement of Chinese high school students

This study examined the effects of cooperative homework on mathematics achievement, taking into account team characteristics. Results of analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that three-member teams high in ability (three high achievers or two high achievers plus one middle/low achiever) seem preferable in organizing cooperative learning for mathematics homework. Middle and low achievers all benefited from cooperative mathematics homework, whereas high achievers did not although they still maintained their top position in mathematics achievement.     

Relationships of some socio-personal factors to mathematics achievement of secondary school and university students in Bophuthatswana

Poor matriculation mathematics results in Bophuthatswana led us to make exploratory efforts to identify possible non-pedagogical factors responsible for such results. Two small scale studies were carried out to examine relationships of socio-personal variables to mathematics achievement. Study 1 looked into the impact of socioeconomic background, school alienation, sex, self-concept and attitude toward mathematics on mathematics performances of secondary school pupils, while study 2 was aimed at examining relationships of dogmatism and mathematics anxiety to mathematics achievement of first-year university students. The data of these two studies invite the attention of mathematics educators to the importance of attitude toward mathematics, mathematics anxiety, and dogmatism in mathematics achievement of Bophuthatswana secondary school and university students.