Challenges pupils face in enlargement transformation geometry in Zambian secondary schools: a case of two selected schools,one in Lusaka district and the other in Monze district.
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2019
Authors
Malinta, Mande
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
Zambian Secondary Schools have experienced a low performance in Mathematics at School
Certificate level. Analyses of the results in terms of questions and facts on the examination
indicate that Transformation Geometry is one of the topics in Mathematics in which pupils are
not performing well. The study therefore, set out to establish the challenges that pupils face in
learning Transformation Geometry, in particular Enlargement Transformation, at two selected
schools in Zambia, one located in Lusaka district and the other in Monze district. The Van
Hiele’s model of levels of geometric thought was used as the theoretical framework of the study,
as well as one of the means of analyzing data.
The study largely used a mixed method approach that included both quantitative descriptive
study design and qualitative study design. Data was obtained through the written test and
interview schedules from One Hundred Grade Twelve pupils from two schools, in which 50
were purposively selected from each school who wrote the test and where systematic randomly
sampled. Teachers of mathematics teaching geometry to grade 12s were purposively sampled in
this study. Data was analyzed through the process of coding, categorizing, clustering and
performance indicators corresponding to the Van Hiele’s model. The analysis of the results
showed that most of the Grade Twelve pupils at the two schools were reasoning at the lowest
level of the Van Hiele’s model (visualization), and had difficulties with description, abstraction
and deduction levels. Further, the teachers indicated that Transformation Geometry was
unpopular among the pupils.
Key findings of the study showed that most of the Grade Twelve pupils had challenges with
using the concept of Enlargement to transform a figure when using the centre and scale factor,
discovering the properties of Enlargement by determining the centre and scale factor and, using
the concept of enlargement to carry out geometrical proof.
The study recommended that Curriculum developers and teachers should ensure that the pupils’
first experiences with geometry at primary school level should primarily emphasize the formal
study of physical shapes and their properties to develop pupils’ intuition and knowledge about
spacial environment. Further, the teachers should ensure that pupils have enough and relevant
pre-requisite knowledge to Enlargement Transformation Geometry, such as concepts of ‘ratio
and proportion and similarity’, and that they are helped to understand and be encouraged to use
geometrical ideas and terminologies applicable to Enlargement Transformation. Furthermore, the
Van Hiele’s theory of geometry learning should be intensively used in schools to describe and
analyze pupils’ levels of geometric understanding in transformations within the context of
enlargement so that proper support and remediation to pupils might be supplied.
Key words: Challenges, Enlargement Transformation, Problem-solving, Spacial skills.
Description
Thesis
Keywords
Challenges-- Enlargement Transformation , Problem-solving--Spacial skills.