IMPACTS OF USING ETHNOMATHEMATICS IN TEACHING ON PERFORMANCE AND RETENTION IN MATHEMATICS AMONG PRIMARY III PUPILS IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

THE PROBLEM

1.1 Introduction

For a long time many researchers in mathematics education have focused their attention on student learning difficulties in school mathematics mostly confined to the formal classroom environment highlighting that there also exist outside of the formal classroom other educationally significant factors having the potential to either enhance or retard effective learning of formal school mathematics ( Matang & Owens , 2004) .

According to D’Ambrosio in 2001, ethnomathematics is “the study of different forms of mathematics that arise from different modes of thought.” This definition is so broad that it can be used to describe the math that is practiced by the indigenous tribes in Africa as well as the math practiced by engineers that specifically relates to their field of interest

Retention is measured in collaboration with achievement. This means that closely related to achievement is retention. Hornby (2000) defines retention as the ability to remember experiences and things learnt. Similarly, kundu and Tutoo (2002) posited that retention is the preservation of mind.

Gender is also among the variables to be tested in this study. Nowadays, gender issues has assumed an important dimension in recent times as a result of increasing awareness of the moral implications of the dangers inherent in the marginalization of women in the science subjects including mathematics who form more than half of the world population

Mathematics constitutes a basic part of the National Curriculum for Primary schools as well as Secondary Education. The federal Government of Nigeria has for long been aware of the pivotal position of mathematics to individual fulfillments and national developmental goals with

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particular reference to scientific and technological emancipation and break through. This understanding has consequently led educational policy makers to position mathematics as a compulsory and one of the core subjects in primary and secondary level of education (FME,2004).

The power structure that exists in Nigeria today originated in the colonial period, in the 19th century. This led to the imposition of a dominating Eurocentric cultural system on the country (Abbas, 2000) .Teachers in the country have increasingly been finding it difficult to get examples that are not Eurocentric. Consequently low achievement in school mathematics has been increasing and shows no sign of reversal (Abbas 2000, D’Ambrosio, 2001).

IMPACTS OF USING ETHNOMATHEMATICS IN TEACHING ON PERFORMANCE AND RETENTION IN MATHEMATICS AMONG PRIMARY III PUPILS IN NIGERIA