High school pupils' attitudes towards mapwork on the Zambian Copperbelt

Kasimba, Kennedy

High school pupils' attitudes towards mapwork on the Zambian Copperbelt

Date

2011-08-15

Authors

Kasimba, Kennedy

Abstract

This study was prompted by the general research problem arising from a concern over the dismal performance of High school pupils in the mapwork component of the Zambian School Certificate Geography paper 1 (2218/1). This problem was against the background of the paucity of knowledge in this area of Geography Education. The study sought to address the following research questionsr(i) What are the attitudes of High school pupils towards mapwork as a component of geography on the Zambian Copperbelt?; (ii) What factors influenced such High school pupils' attitudes towards mapwork?; and (iii) Which aspects of mapwork do selected High school pupils perceive most challenging to learn and why? The study aimed at investigating High school pupils' attitudes towards mapwork as a component of geography, on the Zambian Copperbelt. Specifically, the objectives were: first, to investigate attitudes of High school pupils on the Zambian Copperbelt towards mapwork as a component of geography. Second, to determine what factors influenced such High school pupils' attitudes towards mapwork. Third, to establish aspects of mapwork which selected High school pupils perceived to be most challenging to learn and why? This study employed a survey research design targeting Grade 12 High school pupils taking geography in the following randomly selected High schools on the Zambian Copperbelt: Chililabombwe, Chikola, Kalulushi, Hellen Kaunda, Kalumbwa, Mpatamatu,Ibenga, Mpongwe, Kantanshi and Kansenshi (see map in Figure 1). In total, the study had 296 respondents i.e. 274 pupil and 22 teacher respondents respectively. The 10 High schools were randomly sampled after categorising the 58 High schools on the Zambian Copperbelt province according to districts. The pupil respondents in the study were randomly sampled after purposively coming up with Grade 12 classes that took geography in each of the 10 High schools. Structured questionnaires with both closed and open ended questions were used to collect data from both pupil and teacher respondents. The closed and open ended questions were meant to generate both quantitative and qualitative data respectively. In view of the foregoing objectives of the study, the main findings were as follows: With respect to objective number 1, the study established that 72.6 percent of the pupils indicated that they liked mapwork compared to 27.4 percent of the pupils who indicated that they did not like mapwork. This means most pupil respondents indicated that they liked mapwork. With respect to the second objective, the study established that High school pupils' attitudes towards mapwork on the Zambian Copperbelt were influenced by the interplay of the following factors: (a) Teacher factor; (b) Time factor; (c) Content factor; (d) Methodology factor; (e) Utility factor; (f) Pupil factor and (g) Other factors (e.g. co-curricular activities). With regard to the third objective, the study established that the mapwork aspects perceived most challenging by pupil respondents were three and were ranked as follows by percentage (the major reasons why they perceived the stated mapwork aspects most challenging are in brackets): (i) six figure grid reference, 12.4 % was the highest (Reasons: required very precise mathematical answers and was confusing); (ii) Calculation of Area, 4.7 % was the middle percentage ( Reasons: never been taught, not well explained, not done practically, difficult to tell boundaries on a map, difficult for a place one has never been to) ; and Four figure grid reference, 1.1% was the lowest (Reasons: Teachers did not teach, difficult to understand clearly and was mathematical). The key conclusions of the study were as follows: first, the dismal performance in mapwork section of geography paper (2218/1) could be explained by an interplay of factors indicated in Figure 18 of this study other than attitude. Second, pupils' positive attitudes alone without a corresponding motivation (from teachers) and ability (from pupils) could not achieve better results. Third, the mapwork aspects pupils perceived to be most challenging were mainly mathematical in nature and this was due to the high dosage of physics and mathematical principles in mapwork. In view of the findings of this study, the researcher recommends that geography teachers should take advantage of pupils' positive attitudes towards mapwork and motivate their pupils as early as Grade 10. Additionally, school managers should, on one hand not offer geography to pupils who are weak in physics and mathematics and, on the other, facilitate continuous professional exchanges among teachers of geography and those of mathematics and physics. Further, teachers should introduce mapwork to pupils on the premise of maps as macroscopes.