ABSTRACT
Every community has certain kind of mathematical knowledge which can be used in the formal mathematics curriculum. This study sought to investigate the application of Abagusii cultural practices into the teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools in Masaba North Sub-County, Kenya. The main objectives of the study were; to identify areas in Abagusii culture which use mathematical concepts, to find out whether both teachers and learners are aware of the applications of mathematical concepts in Abagusii culture, to establish the teachers’ opinion on transfer of learning from Abagusii culture to mathematics to support learning and finally to establish how teachers can integrate Abagusii cultural practices into the teaching and learning of mathematics. The study was based on constructivist theory by Jean Piaget and John Dewey. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Data was collected using Mathematics Teachers’ Questionnaire (MTQ) for teachers and Mathematics students’ Questionnaire (MSQ) for students. The target population included 86 teachers and 1741 form four students. Stratified random sampling was used to select six schools (19.35%) for the study. The strata were the divisions in the sub-county. From the six schools, purposive sampling was used to select 16 (19.36%) mathematics teachers and 274(15.72%) students. Piloting of instruments was done using split-half method followed by Spearman-Brown formula. The reliability of Mathematics Teachers’ Questionnaires was (0.70),and Students’ Mathematics Questionnaire (0.75). Reliability coefficient of 0.73 was obtained and considered to fulfill the required degree of consistency. Instrument validity was determined through appraisal by experts. Data collected was subjected to Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) for analysis. Statistical data was presented using frequency distribution tables and analysis used percentages. The study found out that Abagusii culture has mathematical concepts that can be used in teaching and learning of mathematics. Majority of the teachers and students are aware that Abagusii culture has mathematical concepts. Teachers also agreed to the integration of culture into the mathematics curriculum. The study recommended that curriculum developers and teachers should set up mathematical resource centers in every county. In these centers charts showing mathematical concepts can be illustrated. Equally, textbooks should use content from a culture based on students’ background.
1.0. Preamble
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
This chapter contains the background of the study and statement of the problem. It states research objectives, research questions that guided the study; assumptions of the study, scope and limitations of the study are stated; theoretical framework, on which the study was based, is also highlighted. The conceptual framework and operational terms that were used in the study are defined.
Background of the Study
Mathematics has a very important role in both the individual and society’s well being because it has greatly facilitated the rise of living standards across the world. This means many societies have found it inevitable to include mathematics in their formal and informal curricula and other entrepreneurial endeavors, Bii, (2006). In understanding the role of mathematics, the Kenyan government made it one of those subjects one must study both in primary and secondary school levels, KNEC, (2005).This means the value of mathematics in this world cannot be over-stressed. It’s an important tool for the understanding our daily activities. Figueiras (2014) says learning of mathematics is a continuous process and is not limited to the classroom experience only. In spite of the value attached to mathematics, secondary school students still have problems of low levels of achievement in mathematics.
But in countries like Brazil ,D’Ambrosio, (1985) and USA ,Wilson and Mosquera, (1991), educators have sought for recognition that mathematics is not only cultural
product, but also the cultural background of students can be used in powerful ways in learning of school mathematics.
Gerders (1999) indicates that people from South Africa have a vibrant cultural mosaic, extremely rich in diversity. Among these mosaic artifacts there are many geometrical ideas that are shown in the work of wood and ivory carvers, potters, painters, and weavers. South Africa has set up a curriculum that supports all their learners to achieve their maximum potential, Revised National Curriculum Policy, (2002). This is normally done by checking the outcomes to be achieved at the end of the learning process. These outcomes are based on learner-centered and activity-oriented approach. The activities or practices that take place in various communities and the cultural artifacts that are found there is a true reflection of many communities. It is possible that these artifacts can be presented in the classroom and analyzed by the learners and teachers together to come up with the mathematical concepts found in them.
On the other hand, Zaslavsky (1999) notes that Africans have significantly contributed to the development of counting and numbers system. Therefore they deserve a place in studies dealing with the mathematics.
Anghilen (1995) asserted that school mathematics is normally carried out for its own sake, it is normally not related to any real or particular context and in most cases, and it involves recording using symbols. Bishop (1998) narrates that every community has a self-perpetuated form of mathematical knowledge-that is ways of counting, measuring, relating, classifying and inferring. Integrating culture into the learning and teaching of mathematics creates a link between the formal mathematics teaching, student’s
background knowledge and learning the learner would experience while in school. Every community has a certain kind of mathematical knowledge,but unfortunately it is ignored in the formal mathematics curriculum.
A school set up that gives reinforcement to the students’ home cultures, caters for prior knowledge and learning experiences of learners, then learning would take place for these students and if not learning would be drastically inhibited, D’Ambrosio (2001)
Teachers have a higher chance, Mosimege, (2000) due to their wide exposure to mathematical knowledge and this will assist to create linkages between various activities embedded with mathematical concepts to ensure learners experiences are enriched through daily experiences of what they encounter outside classroom. David (1990) found that the relationship between culture and mathematical activities can be emphasized together because the application of culturally sensitive mathematical activities can help students to see the relevance of mathematics in their culture and help teachers to use this connection to teach more mathematics.
The provision of meaningful and adequate education is fundamental to Kenya’s overall development strategy ,MOEST, (2004).This is done through imparting appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes in the learners to enable their awareness, appreciation and preservation of their cultural heritage and also their creativity in modifying and even shaping this culture for their benefits and that of the society ,Mercella, (2013).Further, the guidelines of the National Council of Teacher of Mathematics, NCTM, (1991) highlighted the importance of building connections between mathematics and students’ personal lives and cultures.
Mathematical practices among Abagusii
Abagusii culture has many activities and practices that can be linked to mathematics. Counting reflects the addition method as it is done in schools. In counting, to move from one number to the next number they say add one to the previous number. The operations of multiplication and division are done as repeated addition and subtraction respectively. It is good to note that computation is not done with integers such as 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. Abagusii culture does not add four and three but they add four bananas to three bananas to get seven bananas. Similarly, they divide four bananas among two boys but not just four divide by two. However, no unique answers are to the division operation. For the same problem, several acceptable answers can be obtained depending on what to be divided.
Equally, Abagusii have a special way of making baskets which also show some mathematical concepts. Estimation is more prominent. Estimation on how much reeds, the grass is needed in each step in making baskets. The size of the basket is determined by what the container will be used for. It means the amount of grass used for different sizes are estimated. The dancing styles of Abagusii use constant sequence and patterns. Advanced styles can give periodic sequences where dancers will make a different number of steps forward, backward and sideways. Hence this study aims at analyzing the Abagusii cultural practices and how they can be integrated into the current secondary school mathematics curriculum to improve mastery of mathematics concepts hence improve performance.
Statement of the Problem
Culture has been documented as a resource in the teaching and learning process. According to studies done by D’Ambrosio (1990) mathematics is taught in schools as culturally free subject that involve learning supposedly universally accepted facts, concepts, and contents. This type of learning contributes to the poor performance of learners in the subject. He further argues that including cultural aspects in the curriculum has long-term benefits for mathematics learners.
He posits that, cultural aspects contribute to recognizing mathematics as part of daily life, enhancing the ability to make meaningful connections, and deepening the understanding of mathematics. Abagusii culture has been widely adopted in teaching subjects like English when teaching poetry, history when referring to migrations but not in teaching and learning mathematics. This Abagusii culture like other cultures is a rich reservoir for teaching mathematical concepts. Basket making for example can be used in teaching concepts related to estimation, numbers and operations, geometry and measurement concepts. By delivering mathematics in a format which does not relate to the learner’s culture tend to make the subject lack relevance and limits learners’ mastery of the concepts. While studies done in Kenya have also attempted to address on how best mathematics can be taught, they are yet to isolate and evaluate the application of cultural practices into the teaching and learning of mathematics at secondary school level. This study,therefore, seeks to investigate how the application of Abagusii cultural practices into the teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools in Masaba North Sub County Kisii County, Kenya can improve performance.
