ABSTRACT
In school, activities in each subject area can identify and draw upon experiences in other subjects; hence mathematics also identifies experiences in other subjects. This study sought to investigate the application of mathematical concepts in physical education in Secondary schools in former Lugari District, Kakamega county; Kenya. Physical education is a popular subject. The same cannot be said about mathematics, yet there is a lot of mathematics in their world. In the teaching and learning of physical education, the mathematics involved is not explicitly mentioned. Students learn physical education in the classroom or on the fields of play and move on to the next classroom for the following lesson which could be mathematics. By delivering the curriculum in this format, subjects lack coherence and students become disconnected.
The main objectives of the study were to establish mathematical concepts applied in physical education, after this to investigate teachers’ and students’ awareness of these concepts and the opinion of teachers to integration of physical education and mathematics to support teaching and learning. The study was based on the connectionist theory of learning by Edward L. Thorndike which states that “When any response has been connected with many different situations alike in the presence of one element and different in other respects the response is thereby bound to that element so that when that element appears, even in a totally different situation, it will tend to evoke that response.” Transfer of learning occurs when a person’s learning in one situation influences his learning and performance in other situations. In the literature review the researcher read through books to find the application of mathematics across the curriculum and application of mathematical concepts in physical education. This study adopted a descriptive survey. Qualitative research used interviews to collect information on teachers’ opinions and attitude at connection and integration of mathematics and physical education to support learning. Quantitative research used questionnaires to determine awareness of the mathematical concepts applied in physical education.
The target population for this study included teachers and students. Purposive sampling was used to select ten schools for the study because the schools were those teaching at least four ball games. From the ten schools, stratified sampling was used to select four physical education teachers and four mathematics teachers from each school and eight students for each ball game in each of the school. Statistical data was presented using frequency distribution tables and charts and analysis used percentages and mean. The study found out that Mathematical concepts are applied in the teaching and learning of Physical Education and teachers are aware of these Mathematical concepts. However a small percentage of students are aware of the Mathematical concepts meaning that teachers do not draw the attention of learners to the important role of Mathematics in Physical Education, hence the two subjects are taught in isolation. The study recommended that curriculum developers and teachers should come up with ways of making Mathematics more practical and interesting by associating it to Physical Education. Through workshops, teachers should come up with ways of integrating Mathematics with other subjects in the curriculum for learners to realize its crucial importance
INTRODUCTION
Chapter one gives an overview of the study. It examines the background of the study and the statement of the problem. It states the objectives of the study, the research questions that guided the study; assumptions of the study, significance 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 the operational terms that were used in the study are defined.
Mathematics is more than just the science of numbers taught by teachers in school. It plays a significant role in the daily life activities of individuals and the society as a whole. It equips students with skills necessary for achieving higher education, career aspirations, and for attaining personal fulfillment (Cockcroft, 1982). He further acknowledged that mathematics adds an important part in character building, boosting self-esteem, and providing opportunities for developing curiosity and creativity. Mathematics is also a strategic subject in the learning of other subjects and development of science and technology (Owiti, 2001). This study looks at the importance of mathematics in the teaching and learning of physical education in secondary schools.
Many societies have found it inevitable to include mathematics in their formal and informal curricula and other entrepreneurial endeavors thus, a citizen of any country should attain a reasonable level of mathematical literacy if adequate levels of scientific and technological development are to be achieved (Bii, 2006).
The Kenyan government upon realizing the importance of mathematics made it one of the compulsory subjects both at primary and secondary school levels (KIE, 1979).
In school, activities in each subject area can recognize and draw upon experiences in other subjects; hence use of concepts in mathematics is evident in almost all life activities.
One of the most extensive investigation of the links between another subject and mathematics is that provided by Selkirk (1982) dissembling the relationship between mathematics and geography. There is interesting work on measures, co- ordinates, geometry and statistics. Grevsmuhl (1982) also links mathematics with art, where he explores themes through pictures and computer graphics. Physics, chemistry, biology and business education use mathematics. Students need basic Mathematics concepts in order to do well in these subjects. Proper understanding of the connection between mathematics and the other subjects is necessary because it makes students think about the real world, giving them a practical approach to learning and using mathematics. It is therefore vital for the students to
master basic mathematics concepts in order to excel in other fields (Cockcroft, 1982:2)
Following are some of the subjects that the students study at school and the number of times Mathematics comes in ;( Flock hart, 2009).
