AN ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGY FOR ADDRESSING DYSCALCULIA IN A MATHEMATICS ...

265 Pages·2017·16.31 MB·English

AN ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGY FOR ADDRESSING DYSCALCULIA
IN A MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM
by
LINDIWE GLORIA MOKOTJO
BSc (Hons) Mathematics (SHU); BEd Hons (UFS)
Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements
for the degree
Master of Education
in
CURRICULUM STUDIES
in the
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION STUDIES
at the
UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE
BLOEMFONTEIN
JULY 2017
SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR D.J. HLALELE
CO-SUPERVISOR: DOCTOR M.S. MOSIA
DECLARATION

I declare that the dissertation, AN ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGY FOR
ADDRESSING DYSCALCULIA IN A MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM, hereby
submitted for the qualification of Magister Artium at the University of the Free
State, is my own sovereign work and that I have not previously submitted the
same work for a qualification at/in another university/faculty.

I hereby cede the copyright to the University of the Free State.

-------------------------------------------------------------
L.G. Mokotjo

July 2017
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to extend my gratitude to the following:

• The almighty God for His grace, mercy and love that has allowed this
project to come through.
• My supervisor, Prof Hlalele, for guidance and insightful comments. His
frank, stern and thoughtful comments shaped my character and
unshackled the potential in me. Thank you for believing in me.
• My co-supervisor, Dr Mosia, for his guidance and support.
• Prof Sechaba Mahlomaholo, for believing and encouraging me. Your
humility and kindness are such a great example. Thank you for your
support.
• My husband, “my covenant partner”, you kept me going during trying
times. I love you, “Skatie”.
• My sons, Tshepang, Rorisang and Ratang, for understanding when I
could not make it to the football matches and when I could not be there
when you needed me. Thank you for your hugs and encouragement. I
love you, my boys.
• My parents and especially my father, Cromet Nsizwa Molepo, for being
fascinated by my study and believing in me and the significance of the
project in touching lives. I will always admire you.
• The teachers and the Free State Department of Education Inclusive
Education Team for making this study a success.
• Sule/Surlec for your wonderful contributions.
• Last, but not least, my friends and family for praying for me and
encouraging my finishing this study.

iii
DEDICATION

to

my husband, Dr Asaph Mokhothu Mokotjo
and
my sons, Tshepang, Rorisang and Ratang.

Your love, support and patience are unparalleled. You gave me the courage
and tenacity to pursue my dreams and be the best that God wants me to be. I
hope this has been an inspiration for all of you to pursue your dreams and
never allow circumstances to determine your destiny. This hard work belongs
to you.

iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
AMESA Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa
AL Active Learning
CAPS Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement
CDA Critical Discourse Analysis
CER Critical Emancipatory Research
CET Critical Emancipatory Theory
DBE Department of Basic Education
DBST District-Based Support Team
DoEE Department of Education and Employment
DoE Department of Education
ECP Emancipatory-Critical Paradigm
FSDoE Free State Department of Education
LSA Learning Support Advisor
MEC Member of Executive Council
PBS Public Broadcasting Service
PAR Participatory Action Research
PCAST President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
RSA Republic of South Africa
SASA South African Schools Act
SBST School-Based Support Team
SHU Sheffield Hallam University
TIMSS Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
UFS University of the Free State
UK United Kingdom
USA United States of America

v
ABSTRACT

According to the White Paper 6 (DoE, 2001:3), mainstream education should
provide an equal and fair education to all learners, regardless of their abilities.
In South Africa, there is limited information about learners affected by
dyscalculia and about any interventions available for such learners. More
research indicates that dyscalculia is as prevalent as dyslexia in the
classroom environment. However, less research is done on dyscalculia than
on dyslexia. This study seeks to formulate an active learning strategy for
addressing dyscalculia in a mathematics classroom. The Participatory Action
Research (PAR) method is the chosen method in the study to explore the
effectiveness of an active learning strategy in addressing dyscalculia in a
mathematics classroom. It also creates an awareness of an existing learning
disability in a mathematics classroom. Critical Emancipatory Research (CER)
is the theoretical framework that underpins the study because of its view to
emancipate and award an opportunity to transform the lives of the previously
oppressed, while maintaining the respect and dignity of those participating in
the study. Participants in this study include individuals who are struggling to
learn mathematics and simple numeracy due to dyscalculia, education
stakeholders who are responsible for the teaching and learning of
mathematics in a classroom, an education psychologist, parents of affected
learners, and a local specialist in dyscalculia. The collected data are
analysed, using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). In conclusion, two findings
emerge – that there is very little awareness of dyscalculia in mainstream
education and that an active learning strategy (AL strategy) is effective in
improving mathematics performance for all learners, including learners with
dyscalculia.

Key words: active learning strategy, compromised mathematical aptitude,
cooperative learning, dyscalculia, mathematics, mathematical disability,
Participatory Action Research, peer teaching

vi
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

TABLES
Table 3.1: Participant profiling
Table 5.1: Number of learners who are exposed to formal education before
Grade 1 in South Africa
Table 7.1: Involvement of pillars in the implementation of AL
Table 7.2: Capacity development of pillars in support of learners with
dyscalculia
Table 7.3: Role of the individual pillars in the implementation of AL
Table 7.4: Capacity development of the team in the implementation of AL
Table 7.5: Determination of priorities to mitigate encountered challenges
Table 7.6: Monitoring and evaluation of intervention strategy

FIGURES

Figure 4.1: Manipulatives used to teach addition
Figure 4.2: Proposed classroom sitting for active learning

vii
LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: REQUEST TO CONDUCT RESEARCH
APPENDIX B: ETHICAL CLEARANCE LETTER
APPENDIX C: CONSENT BY THE TEACHER
APPENDIX D: CONSENT BY THE PARENT ON BEHALF OF THE
LEARNER
APPENDIX E: CONSENT BY THE PARENT
APPENDIX F: CONSENT BY THE SCHOOL-BASED SUPPORT TEAM
MEMBER
APPENDIX G: CONSENT BY THE DEPUTY CHIEF EDUCATION
SPECIALIST
APPENDIX H: CONSENT BY THE DISTRICT-BASED SUPPORT TEAM
APPENDIX I: CONSENT BY THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
APPENDIX J: TURN IT IN REPORT
APPENDIX K: CERTIFICATE OF LANGUAGE EDITING

viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ........................................................................................................... II
DEDICATION ............................................................................................................. IV
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................ V
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ VI
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ............................................................................ VII
LIST OF APPENDICES ........................................................................................... VIII
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. IX

CHAPTER 1
OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY, AN ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGY FOR
ADDRESSING DYSCALCULIA IN A MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM ...................... 1
1.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1
1.1.1 Intervention methods for addressing dyscalculia ........................................ 3
1.1.2 Proposed intervention strategy – active learning strategy .......................... 4
1.1.3 The implementation of AL ........................................................................... 6
1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEM ..................................................................................... 7
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ................................................................................. 8
1.4 RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................ 8
1.5 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY .................................................. 9
1.6 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ....................................................................... 11
1.7 DATA GENERATION ....................................................................................... 12
1.8 SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS .................................................................... 13
1.9 DATA ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION AND REPORTING ............................. 14
1.10 VALUE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH ................................................... 14
1.11 ETHICAL CONSIDERATION ......................................................................... 15
1.12 CHAPTER SUMMARY ................................................................................... 15

CHAPTER 2
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW ON THE ACTIVE
LEARNING STRATEGY FOR ADDRESSING DYSCALCULIA IN A
MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM ................................................................................ 16
2.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 16
ix
2.2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK INFORMING THE STUDY ............................ 17
2.2.1 Critical Emancipatory Research ................................................................ 18
2.2.1.1 Origin of CER ..................................................................................... 18
2.2.1.2 Objectives of CER .............................................................................. 19
2.2.1.3 Relationship between researcher and participants ............................ 20
2.3 OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS ........................................................................... 22
2.3.1 Active learning ........................................................................................... 22
2.3.1.1 Historical review of AL ........................................................................ 22
2.3.1.2 Definition of Active Learning .............................................................. 24
2.3.1.3 Link between CER and an AL strategy .............................................. 25
2.3.2 Dyscalculia ................................................................................................ 26
2.3.2.1 Historical background of dyscalculia .................................................. 27
2.3.2.2 Definition of dyscalculia ...................................................................... 28
2.3.2.3 Elements of dyscalculia ...................................................................... 29
2.3.2.4 Dyscalculia as a learning disability ..................................................... 31
2.3.2.5 Perspectives on dyscalculia ............................................................... 32
2.3.2.5.1 Biological perspective .................................................................. 33
2.3.2.5.2 Cognitive perspective .................................................................. 34
2.3.2.5.3 Behavioural perspective .............................................................. 35
2.3.3 Mathematics .............................................................................................. 37
2.4 RELATED LITERATURE ................................................................................. 38
2.4.1 Perspectives pertaining to understanding of dyscalculia and an
AL strategy .............................................................................................. 39
2.4.1.2 Semantic memory difficulty ................................................................ 41
2.4.1.3 Procedural memory difficulty .............................................................. 42
2.4.1.4 Visuospatial memory difficulty ............................................................ 43
2.4.2 Need for an AL strategy in addressing dyscalculia in a mathematics
classroom ................................................................................................ 44
2.4.2.1 Intervention strategies for learners with dyscalculia ........................... 45
2.4.2.2 Mathematics for learners with dyscalculia .......................................... 46
2.4.2.3 Intervention strategy in a mathematics classroom for dyscalculia
learners ............................................................................................. 46
2.4.2.4 Active learning as a teaching strategy ............................................... 48
2.4.2.5 Relevance of AL as a teaching strategy and link with dyscalculia ..... 49
2.4.3 The elements of a successful AL strategy that addresses dyscalculia in
a mathematics classroom ........................................................................ 50
2.4.3.1 Promoting learners’ engagement through effective questioning ........ 51
x