Since 2016 the Primary Teacher Education (PrimTEd) project has assessed first and fourth year stu... more Since 2016 the Primary Teacher Education (PrimTEd) project has assessed first and fourth year student teachers' English language and literacies knowledge and skills with a view to optimising what is offered in teacher education courses. In 2021, after a critical review of these English language assessments, a process of test redesigning that also provides professional development opportunities for language teacher educators, was initiated. In this paper, we report on this process of modifying an existing test and discuss a new design that is still a work in progress, in order to make it more responsive to the English language needs of the student teachers. We argue that the emerging test has the potential to contribute to improved English language teacher education at universities and to improved teaching and learning of languages and literacies in South African primary schools.
The focus of the South African Education Research Association's Assessment and Testing Specia... more The focus of the South African Education Research Association's Assessment and Testing Special Interest Group (SIG) is to contribute to current initiatives and debates pertaining to the development and implementation of assessment systems for improving learning and teaching. In particular, the SIG's members aim to address dominant performativity discourses impacting schools and universities by (1) providing a common understanding of the purpose and use of assessment, (2) locating the different assessment applications across the broader system within which learning and teaching occurs, and (3) highlighting recent initiatives impacting on assessment policy and practices. We think it essential to highlight critical policy and practice questions, while simultaneously acknowledging ongoing challenges for implementing enabling assessment systems that support the specific pedagogical needs of learners, teachers, students, and lecturers. Notwithstanding the complexities of effecting...
Sun, X. H., Kaur, B., Novotna, J.( Eds ) (2015) Proceeding of ICMI STUDY 23: Primary mathematics study on whole number. June, 2015, Macao, China., 2015
This paper proposes a framework to support teachers’ interpretation of learners’ representations ... more This paper proposes a framework to support teachers’ interpretation of learners’ representations when engaging with whole number additive relation tasks. It builds on previous South African research on a conceptual framework for the specialisation of modes of representation in early grade mathematics. Using a combination of empirical data of learners’ representations of additive relations and literature, the adapted framework is exemplified focusing on shifts within modes of representation which denote a move from counting to calculating.
Internet of Things, Infrastructures and Mobile Applications, 2020
ChildConnect is an early childhood development programme which aims to use mobile learning to sup... more ChildConnect is an early childhood development programme which aims to use mobile learning to support and educate parents and other caregivers. The programme is based on an SMS curriculum focused on early childhood development content, underpinned by six core learning outcomes. In a pilot in 2017, 899 primary and secondary caregivers signed up to receive the messages. Caregivers were randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. The treatment group received 3 messages a week for 24 weeks while the control group received one message every two weeks. Pre and post-tests were administered using ‘Unstructured Supplementary Service Data’ (USSD) surveys on mobile phones. Results of the tests were combined into a composite learning outcome score. This paper explores preliminary evidence of knowledge gains, comparing pre-test outcome scores to post-test outcome scores across treatment and control groups. The treatment group performed better on their learning outcome score than those in the control group by ~0.7 points (Cohen’s d = 0.21, small effect size, but non-trivial). This shows that there was a small but measurable positive effect on the knowledge gains of the treatment group compared to the control.
The African Journal of Information and Communication, 2021
This article, a contribution to m-learning (mobile learning) research, centres on the motivation ... more This article, a contribution to m-learning (mobile learning) research, centres on the motivation for, and development of, a suitable framework to analyse m-learning options for early childhood development (ECD) practitioners. Grounded in a sociocultural learning perspective, the framework was developed as part of a larger study into the feasibility of m-learning for ECD practitioners in the Penreach professional development programme in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Analysis of existing frameworks enabled the development of a new, modified framework to suit the Penreach context. Here we unpack the framework and explain its development. The new, modified framework aims to assist researchers, developers, and implementers by prompting consideration of five sociocultural learning features associated with m-learning in ECD, namely: device access, data affordability, authenticity, collaboration, and personalisation.
ChildConnect is a messaging service which aims to use mobile learning to support and educate pare... more ChildConnect is a messaging service which aims to use mobile learning to support and educate parents and caregivers through an SMS curriculum of Early Childhood Development content. This paper reports on initial uptake and subsequent engagement with the ChildConnect messages. An experimental design was adopted where caregivers were randomly assigned to either a treatment or a control group. The uptake for ChildConnect from those targeted via public clinic data on pregnant women was 24%, this increased to 66% for secondary caregivers invited to join the service by a primary caregiver. Engagement was measured in terms of appetite, as well as in terms of response rates to both unincentivised and incentivised opportunities to engage. For both control and treatment groups there was clear appetite to receive more than three messages per week, with most (~78%) participants indicating that they would like to receive messages every day or every weekday. Three incentivised surveys (midline 1, midline 2 and endline) were completed by 72%, 70% and 69% of participants respectively. Between 25−55% of participants in the treatment group responded to unincentivised weekly ‘reply’ messages. Higher response rates were seen for the control group who received fewer messages and only fortnightly opportunities to reply.
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2016
Drawing on a literature review of classifications developed by each of Riley, Verschaffel and Car... more Drawing on a literature review of classifications developed by each of Riley, Verschaffel and Carpenter and their respective research groups, a refined typology of additive relations word problems is proposed and then used as analytical tool to classify the additive relations word problems in South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Standard (CAPS) for Foundation Phase. Inconsistencies and errors within the CAPS are exposed. Two different typologies are presented in the CAPS: first ‘compare, combine and compare’ and then ‘change, compare and equalise’ problem types are presented. For the latter typology ‘join’ and ‘separate’ actions are imposed onto static situations. Rather than referring to the ‘whole–part–part’ structure which is common across all problem types, a generalised ‘start–change–result’ structure is imposed. This is both incorrect (static situations do not have this structure) and inconsistent with the articulated distinction between take-away and difference models for subtraction expressed elsewhere in the CAPS. In light of this analysis it is recommended that adapted curriculum guidelines are developed and circulated to Foundation Phase teachers, teacher educators and curriculum advisors. The refined typology of additive relations word problems may be used to underpin professional development initiatives for Foundation Phase teachers, and for structuring the setting of the annual diagnostic assessments at this level.
This GIZ-commissioned landscape review focuses on mNumeracy interventions in early grades in low ... more This GIZ-commissioned landscape review focuses on mNumeracy interventions in early grades in low income countries. A search of the internet and academic journals, and correspondence with contacts within the mNumeracy space, resulted in the unearthing of a total of only 24 projects (from 12 countries) that fit the above criteria. This illustrates the paucity of such projects (or, at the very least, the lack of documentation about such projects). The projects found have been mapped to the four key areas of focus for the review: Mathematics instruction and teaching and learning materials; teacher professional development; learning outcomes assessment; and parents and community involvement. The vast majority of projects are mapped to the learner instruction and materials focus area. There are a few projects relevant to teacher education, and only one project mapped to each of the other key areas. Six case studies have been chosen to outline in more detail; three for the key area Mathematics instruction, and teaching and learning materials; and one for each of the other key areas.
This theoretical paper analyses the treatment of long division in the South African Curriculum an... more This theoretical paper analyses the treatment of long division in the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for intermediate phase mathematics (2011) against some key theoretical features which are documented in mathematics education literature. It concludes that there is clear research-based progress evident in the CAPS curriculum in relation to this topic, but there remains more that can be done to support learners’ efficient long division written calculation procedures. It therefore provides additional guidelines to teachers, including examples of an ‘efficient chunking’ written procedure for long division which may be of use to primary mathematics teachers implementing the intermediate phase CAPS.
Since 2016 the Primary Teacher Education (PrimTEd) project has assessed first and fourth year stu... more Since 2016 the Primary Teacher Education (PrimTEd) project has assessed first and fourth year student teachers' English language and literacies knowledge and skills with a view to optimising what is offered in teacher education courses. In 2021, after a critical review of these English language assessments, a process of test redesigning that also provides professional development opportunities for language teacher educators, was initiated. In this paper, we report on this process of modifying an existing test and discuss a new design that is still a work in progress, in order to make it more responsive to the English language needs of the student teachers. We argue that the emerging test has the potential to contribute to improved English language teacher education at universities and to improved teaching and learning of languages and literacies in South African primary schools.
The focus of the South African Education Research Association's Assessment and Testing Specia... more The focus of the South African Education Research Association's Assessment and Testing Special Interest Group (SIG) is to contribute to current initiatives and debates pertaining to the development and implementation of assessment systems for improving learning and teaching. In particular, the SIG's members aim to address dominant performativity discourses impacting schools and universities by (1) providing a common understanding of the purpose and use of assessment, (2) locating the different assessment applications across the broader system within which learning and teaching occurs, and (3) highlighting recent initiatives impacting on assessment policy and practices. We think it essential to highlight critical policy and practice questions, while simultaneously acknowledging ongoing challenges for implementing enabling assessment systems that support the specific pedagogical needs of learners, teachers, students, and lecturers. Notwithstanding the complexities of effecting...
Sun, X. H., Kaur, B., Novotna, J.( Eds ) (2015) Proceeding of ICMI STUDY 23: Primary mathematics study on whole number. June, 2015, Macao, China., 2015
This paper proposes a framework to support teachers’ interpretation of learners’ representations ... more This paper proposes a framework to support teachers’ interpretation of learners’ representations when engaging with whole number additive relation tasks. It builds on previous South African research on a conceptual framework for the specialisation of modes of representation in early grade mathematics. Using a combination of empirical data of learners’ representations of additive relations and literature, the adapted framework is exemplified focusing on shifts within modes of representation which denote a move from counting to calculating.
Internet of Things, Infrastructures and Mobile Applications, 2020
ChildConnect is an early childhood development programme which aims to use mobile learning to sup... more ChildConnect is an early childhood development programme which aims to use mobile learning to support and educate parents and other caregivers. The programme is based on an SMS curriculum focused on early childhood development content, underpinned by six core learning outcomes. In a pilot in 2017, 899 primary and secondary caregivers signed up to receive the messages. Caregivers were randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. The treatment group received 3 messages a week for 24 weeks while the control group received one message every two weeks. Pre and post-tests were administered using ‘Unstructured Supplementary Service Data’ (USSD) surveys on mobile phones. Results of the tests were combined into a composite learning outcome score. This paper explores preliminary evidence of knowledge gains, comparing pre-test outcome scores to post-test outcome scores across treatment and control groups. The treatment group performed better on their learning outcome score than those in the control group by ~0.7 points (Cohen’s d = 0.21, small effect size, but non-trivial). This shows that there was a small but measurable positive effect on the knowledge gains of the treatment group compared to the control.
The African Journal of Information and Communication, 2021
This article, a contribution to m-learning (mobile learning) research, centres on the motivation ... more This article, a contribution to m-learning (mobile learning) research, centres on the motivation for, and development of, a suitable framework to analyse m-learning options for early childhood development (ECD) practitioners. Grounded in a sociocultural learning perspective, the framework was developed as part of a larger study into the feasibility of m-learning for ECD practitioners in the Penreach professional development programme in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Analysis of existing frameworks enabled the development of a new, modified framework to suit the Penreach context. Here we unpack the framework and explain its development. The new, modified framework aims to assist researchers, developers, and implementers by prompting consideration of five sociocultural learning features associated with m-learning in ECD, namely: device access, data affordability, authenticity, collaboration, and personalisation.
ChildConnect is a messaging service which aims to use mobile learning to support and educate pare... more ChildConnect is a messaging service which aims to use mobile learning to support and educate parents and caregivers through an SMS curriculum of Early Childhood Development content. This paper reports on initial uptake and subsequent engagement with the ChildConnect messages. An experimental design was adopted where caregivers were randomly assigned to either a treatment or a control group. The uptake for ChildConnect from those targeted via public clinic data on pregnant women was 24%, this increased to 66% for secondary caregivers invited to join the service by a primary caregiver. Engagement was measured in terms of appetite, as well as in terms of response rates to both unincentivised and incentivised opportunities to engage. For both control and treatment groups there was clear appetite to receive more than three messages per week, with most (~78%) participants indicating that they would like to receive messages every day or every weekday. Three incentivised surveys (midline 1, midline 2 and endline) were completed by 72%, 70% and 69% of participants respectively. Between 25−55% of participants in the treatment group responded to unincentivised weekly ‘reply’ messages. Higher response rates were seen for the control group who received fewer messages and only fortnightly opportunities to reply.
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2016
Drawing on a literature review of classifications developed by each of Riley, Verschaffel and Car... more Drawing on a literature review of classifications developed by each of Riley, Verschaffel and Carpenter and their respective research groups, a refined typology of additive relations word problems is proposed and then used as analytical tool to classify the additive relations word problems in South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Standard (CAPS) for Foundation Phase. Inconsistencies and errors within the CAPS are exposed. Two different typologies are presented in the CAPS: first ‘compare, combine and compare’ and then ‘change, compare and equalise’ problem types are presented. For the latter typology ‘join’ and ‘separate’ actions are imposed onto static situations. Rather than referring to the ‘whole–part–part’ structure which is common across all problem types, a generalised ‘start–change–result’ structure is imposed. This is both incorrect (static situations do not have this structure) and inconsistent with the articulated distinction between take-away and difference models for subtraction expressed elsewhere in the CAPS. In light of this analysis it is recommended that adapted curriculum guidelines are developed and circulated to Foundation Phase teachers, teacher educators and curriculum advisors. The refined typology of additive relations word problems may be used to underpin professional development initiatives for Foundation Phase teachers, and for structuring the setting of the annual diagnostic assessments at this level.
This GIZ-commissioned landscape review focuses on mNumeracy interventions in early grades in low ... more This GIZ-commissioned landscape review focuses on mNumeracy interventions in early grades in low income countries. A search of the internet and academic journals, and correspondence with contacts within the mNumeracy space, resulted in the unearthing of a total of only 24 projects (from 12 countries) that fit the above criteria. This illustrates the paucity of such projects (or, at the very least, the lack of documentation about such projects). The projects found have been mapped to the four key areas of focus for the review: Mathematics instruction and teaching and learning materials; teacher professional development; learning outcomes assessment; and parents and community involvement. The vast majority of projects are mapped to the learner instruction and materials focus area. There are a few projects relevant to teacher education, and only one project mapped to each of the other key areas. Six case studies have been chosen to outline in more detail; three for the key area Mathematics instruction, and teaching and learning materials; and one for each of the other key areas.
This theoretical paper analyses the treatment of long division in the South African Curriculum an... more This theoretical paper analyses the treatment of long division in the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for intermediate phase mathematics (2011) against some key theoretical features which are documented in mathematics education literature. It concludes that there is clear research-based progress evident in the CAPS curriculum in relation to this topic, but there remains more that can be done to support learners’ efficient long division written calculation procedures. It therefore provides additional guidelines to teachers, including examples of an ‘efficient chunking’ written procedure for long division which may be of use to primary mathematics teachers implementing the intermediate phase CAPS.
Proceedings of the 26th Annual National Congress of the Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa, 2021
Covid-19 has shed light on the importance of the culture and systems of communication and support... more Covid-19 has shed light on the importance of the culture and systems of communication and support between primary school teachers and parents, especially in reference to learning. The motivation behind this study was to build knowledge of what works to support parent-teacher communication and mathematics homework in six rural schools in the Eastern Cape during Covid-19.
This paper reports on the baseline data collected via parent and teacher questionnaires and parent focus groups, relating to practices and beliefs (encompassing relationships and agency) of parents and teachers relating to Grade 2 mathematics homework. These methods draw upon education design research, where teachers come together with education design specialists to design, test, and further refine systems and tools to address a problem in a context with very few known solutions.
The results show the diversity of 'the parent', the availability of mobile phones which can send and receive SMS, the emergence of phones which can send and receive WhatsApp, as well as the significant efforts necessary to establish simple communication systems between teachers and parents. This paper has relevance to teachers and project designers seeking to support remote learning, which draws on local resources and makes use of modest technology resources such as print and feature mobile phones.
Proceedings of the 26th Annual National Congress of the Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa, 2021
The Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) is a tool for assessing the mathematical competenci... more The Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) is a tool for assessing the mathematical competencies of grade 1-3 learners in cross-national studies. In South Africa there have been concerns that the EGMA was not functioning optimally for Grade 1 learners.
The objective of this study was to identify elements that may invalidate EGMA as a measure of mathematical competencies of grade 1 learners. From the Rasch analysis, our finding was that the EGMA suffered notable 'floor effects', was too long for grade 1 learners and included redundant items.
The findings have relevance for the modification of the EGMA, for professional development programmes and further research in mathematics assessment at the Foundation Phase level.
This paper contributes to the research agenda on intervention studies and their impact on learnin... more This paper contributes to the research agenda on intervention studies and their impact on learning outcomes. It focuses on early grade mathematics in South Africa by drawing on four years of cross-sectional data (n = 5,724) from treatment and control primary schools in the same district in Gauteng. Early Grade Mathematics Assessments (EGMA) were administered to a random selection of learners in both school groups over a period of 4 years.
Findings show a statistically significant difference in mean attainment on the EGMA assessment in the JumpStart schools (effect size of 0.52) and with further improvements evident after 3 years (effect size of 0.94). These effect sizes are compared to existing South African studies as well as meta-analysis of studies from low- and middle-income countries. Benchmarks for EGMA raw score attainment at Grade level in the Ekurhuleni South district of Gauteng (n = 2,625) are provided.
South African Association for Early Childhood Education (SARAECE), 2018 National conference, 2018
This paper examines the engagement processes of a ~900 caregivers of young children receiving an ... more This paper examines the engagement processes of a ~900 caregivers of young children receiving an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Short Messages Service (SMS’s) in English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa. In this paper the concepts of m-learning ‘engagement’ related to ‘uptake’ and ‘use’ as adopted by Roberts & Vänskä (2011) are applied. An experimental design was adopted where the target group was assigned to either a treatment group (receiving three messages per week), or a control group (receiving one message per fortnight). A pre-test and post-test survey was administered at the baseline (prior to the 6-month message service intervention), and repeated at the endline. Two additional measures of engagement were obtained: The responses to fortnightly questions posed to both treatment and control groups, and the opportunities presented fortnightly to the treatment group to request additional information. The data is analysed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. The study was endorsed by the National Department of Health, approved by five provincial Departments of Health, and undertaken under the ethical clearance number: 2017-038 of the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Education. The study provides quantitative evidence of how the caregivers engaged with the m-learning parenting service and reports on measurable shifts in attitudes and beliefs as well as knowledge about early childhood development. This paper may be of interest to government actors, curriculum designers, and implementers of ECD parenting programmes. Parents and caregivers are the first teachers of young children; and hence a key part of transforming teacher education in the early years.
British Society for Research into the Learning for Mathematics BSLRM Conference, 2009
Many secondary school pupils have mobile phones in their bags or pockets while sitting in their m... more Many secondary school pupils have mobile phones in their bags or pockets while sitting in their maths classrooms. Does this present an opportunity or a threat to the teaching and learning of mathematics? Is the mobile phone an appropriate personally-owned tool for using graphic and/or scientific calculators, browser-based mathematics content, social networking for communities of young mathematicians or any other available mathematics related applications? The presentation will open with a brief description of the project design and related evaluation research for an “M-Learning proof of concept” project currently being investigated. This project involves six Grade 10 (pupils of age 16) Mathematics classes and their teachers in six schools across three provinces in South Africa. An smsbased ( or texting-based) model and a browser-based model using specifically designed Mathematics platforms for use on any mobile phone, are being piloted and will be contrasted. The project involves collaboration from the South African national Department of Education, private sector technology vendors (Nokia and MSN) and various mathematics education content (WebAlt) and online tutoring (Mereka Institute) agencies. The project is currently underway, and the presenter is project managing its evaluation research component. Like most technical “proof of concept” initiatives, this particular project and its contrasting M-learning models is unlikely to be a panacea for personal information and communication technology (ICT) access in mathematics classrooms. The presenter will invite some discussion on the questions this particular project raises for both mathematics teachers and researchers interested in the learning of mathematics.
25th Annual conference of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology , 2017
There are a plethora of mathematics related interventions in South Africa which share a common ‘h... more There are a plethora of mathematics related interventions in South Africa which share a common ‘hoped for’ output of improving school-level mathematics teaching and learning. This paper reports on a landscape review that was undertaken with the chief aim of collecting evidence about these intervention programmes. This was done by compiling a list of experts (from Higher Education Institutions, the Education Department and NGOs) engaged in mathematics education interventions in schools who were asked to provide information about the interventions they were involved in.
25th Annual conference of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology , 2017
Procedural fluency is one of Kilpatrick et al.’s (2001) the five strands of mathematics competenc... more Procedural fluency is one of Kilpatrick et al.’s (2001) the five strands of mathematics competence and ought to be attended to as part of mathematics teaching. This is theskill used to carrying out mathematical procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately, which is a key requirement for mathematical attainment that is measured in high-stakes standardised assessments. However labelling this skill as distinct from other strands of mathematical proficiency and recognising it during instructional time or in learning materials does not help to answer one of the more vexing questions which arise about this concept: How much procedural fluency or ‘practice’ is enough to effect shifts in mathematics attainment? In this paper we present the evaluation research findings from a mobile learning mathematics service which helps to answer the question of ‘how much is enough?’.
25th Annual conference of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology , 2017
Initial primary teacher education for mathematics and literacy teaching requires radical self-ref... more Initial primary teacher education for mathematics and literacy teaching requires radical self-reflection and transformation, as recommended in general for the sector by the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development (ISPFTED). Any intervention to enable this must be driven from within the field of primary teacher education if sector-wide buy-in is to be achieved and sustainable and positive change is to be affected. The Primary Teacher Education (PrimTEd) Programme aims to provide this opportunity. Ultimately, the main result must be strengthened initial teacher education programmes that enable new primary teacher graduates to competently teach languages, literacy and mathematics in primary school settings.
Conference of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education (SAARMSTE), 2018
Following on the symposium on progress made in 2017 in a European Union funded
Department of High... more Following on the symposium on progress made in 2017 in a European Union funded Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) intervention to support collaboration between Universities (Higher Education Institutes), this symposium will present preliminary findings from a 2017 trial of a common mathematics assessment. The PrimTEd assessment workstream has trialled an common online mathematics assessment across a few different South African universities. This has been administered with 1st year and 4th year B.Ed students. Preliminary analysis of the findings from these 2017 trials are presented.
26th Conference of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education (SAARMSTE) , 2018
In this symposium we seek to open up a discussion about what constitutes a successful interventio... more In this symposium we seek to open up a discussion about what constitutes a successful intervention in mathematics education in the South African context. Each of the participants in the symposium have been involved “on the ground” in interventions, as well as engaged in research about the efficacy of interventions. It is clearly important to interrogate whether or not a programme is having the desired impact. In addition, increasingly, funders require clear, measurable indicators of success. A number of confounding factors make this a far from simple a task. The work of Spaull and Kotze (2015) indicates that learners in South Africa are typically operating at a level 3 – 4 years behind grade level. The last large scale systemic testing (the 2014 Mathematics Annual National Assessments) produced an average of 11% at grade 9 level (DBE, 2014). This context brings into question the measures one might use to judge a starting point and an improvement. A grade-level test is, in many schools in South Africa, likely to produce very poor results. Is an intervention that produces an improvement from 11% to 14% on such a test a success? In addition to problematizing the nature of the instrument used to measure performance, there are questions around which leverage points (e.g. the learners themselves or teachers or district officials) an intervention targets and how one evaluates the impact of each of these. In this symposium the presenters will address aspects of these issues that have surfaced in the interventions and research we have been involved.
South African Association for Early Childhood Education (SARAECE), 2018 National conference, 2018
This paper examines the engagement processes of a ~900 caregivers of young children receiving an ... more This paper examines the engagement processes of a ~900 caregivers of young children receiving an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Short Messages Service (SMS’s) in English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa. In this paper the concepts of m-learning ‘engagement’ related to ‘uptake’ and ‘use’ as adopted by Roberts & Vänskä (2011) are applied. An experimental design was adopted where the target group was assigned to either a treatment group (receiving three messages per week), or a control group (receiving one message per fortnight). A pre-test and post-test survey was administered at the baseline (prior to the 6-month message service intervention), and repeated at the endline. Two additional measures of engagement were obtained: The responses to fortnightly questions posed to both treatment and control groups, and the opportunities presented fortnightly to the treatment group to request additional information. The data is analysed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. The study was endorsed by the National Department of Health, approved by five provincial Departments of Health, and undertaken under the ethical clearance number: 2017-038 of the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Education. The study provides quantitative evidence of how the caregivers engaged with the m-learning parenting service and reports on measurable shifts in attitudes and beliefs as well as knowledge about early childhood development. This paper may be of interest to government actors, curriculum designers, and implementers of ECD parenting programmes. Parents and caregivers are the first teachers of young children; and hence a key part of transforming teacher education in the early years.
South African Association for Early Childhood Education (SARAECE), 2018 National conference, 2018
This paper examines gatekeeping phenomena and processes in the production of an Early Childhood D... more This paper examines gatekeeping phenomena and processes in the production of an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Short Messages Service (SMS’s) for caregivers of young children. This paper forms part of a broader PhD study of an m-learning parenting programme which demonstrates a directly beneficial relationship between caregivers, children, and text-messaging information. The broader study builds on the relationship between adult education theory, change theory and communications theory. In this paper the interrelated notions of ‘publics’ (Warner, 2002), ‘gates’ and ‘gatekeeping’ (Bruns, 2008) are in focus. An action research design was adopted whereby the writing team could test and refine the SMS curriculum based on feedback from case study mothers. Rich qualitative information was collected from the primary beneficiaries of the service in order to improve and develop the SMS curriculum. The data collection included SMS responses, home visits, questionnaires, photographs and short videos. The study was endorsed by the National Department of Health, approved by five provincial Departments of Health, and undertaken under the ethical clearance number: 2017-038 of the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Education. The study provides a thick description of the processes undertaken, and the gatekeeping phenomena experienced, in the development of an ECD SMS curriculum. Ways of being receptive to feedback and relevant to the lives of mothers receiving the child grant are discussed. Mothers and caregivers can participate in development of parenting programmes which use SMS’s as a critical mobile platform for adult education. This paper may be of interest to government actors, curriculum designers, and implementers of ECD parenting programmes which seek to send parents systematic information about child development processes. Parents and caregivers are the first teachers of young children; and hence a key part of transforming teacher education in the early years.
British Congress of Mathematics Education BCME - 7, 2010
This paper compares the treatment of algebra content in the intended curriculum of the early grad... more This paper compares the treatment of algebra content in the intended curriculum of the early grades 1 in two countries: England and South Africa. Two levels of analysis are conducted. The first examines the content structure of each curriculum; and the second compares and contrasts the detailed 'learning objectives' in England to the 'assessment standards' in South Africa. The comparison reveals that a curriculum may include algebra by name, but may not deal with it in much substance (as in South Africa) and, a curriculum may include algebra in some substance, while not mentioning it by name (as in England).
13th International Congress on Mathematics Education (ICME-13), 2016
South Africa is a land of extreme socioeconomic and educational inequality. In this paper we focu... more South Africa is a land of extreme socioeconomic and educational inequality. In this paper we focus on the contrast between personal and collective identities as passive victims versus student activists /active students. We use this as a lens for exploring challenges and opportunities for educational redress. We argue that these two opposing, yet mutually constituted, narratives continue to play out within our post-Apartheid schooling system and are particularly visible in learner relationships with mathematics learning opportunities. We argue that while learning dispositions and opportunities to learn mathematics are restricted by a range of factors (widely noted in multiple studies) there are rich opportunities for shaping these in ways that foreground learner agency in learning processes. We draw on empirical data from three intervention projects that point to learner agency as a key, yet largely untapped resource, for addressing education equity in diverse contexts.
13th International Congress on Mathematical Education , 2016
This paper presents the activity of a 9-year old learner (Mpho) on story-telling tasks for additi... more This paper presents the activity of a 9-year old learner (Mpho) on story-telling tasks for additive relations which took place within the context of a ‘full service’ public primary school in South Africa. Mpho’s activity reveals several learning gains and pedagogic directions for his further learning support are suggested. I argue that such tasks may be of value to other teachers engaged in inclusive education practices.
Interim Proceedings of the 44th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, 2020
In South Africa, although school language policy expects that the majority of early grade teacher... more In South Africa, although school language policy expects that the majority of early grade teachers should teach mathematics in an African language, initial teacher education programmes are offered in English.
To investigate bilingual sense making of mathematics, students in their first year of a teacher training programme wrote the same mathematics test in two languages: English and isiXhosa, as part of the national assessment.
Data from 88 student teachers revealed that their performance was better in the English version of the test. The majority of the students (69%) preferred the English version of the test. The study recommends that universities need to pay far greater attention to the teaching of mathematics in isiXhosa for the early grades.
Book of Proceedings, 27th Annual Conference of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (SAARMSTE), 2019
Recently, initial teacher education for primary mathematics teachers has drawn much attention wor... more Recently, initial teacher education for primary mathematics teachers has drawn much attention worldwide due to its importance and contribution to childhood development. In South Africa, in response to a quest for relevant and quality primary mathematics teachers, the Primary Teacher Education (PrimTEd) project has been established as a collaboration between all higher education institutions (HEIs). Different workstreams in PrimTEd are mandated to develop sets of commonly agreed standards, materials and assessments of knowledge for teaching primary mathematics.
A common assessment in mathematics was deemed necessary to allow each HEI to reflect on their student intake, and design of their Bachelor of Education programmes (B.Eds). The assessment workstream constructed an online test of 90 minutes, consisting of 50 items on different mathematics concepts pertaining to foundation and intermediate phase school mathematics for teaching. The authors, analysed the performance of the 2017 pilot testing with first year students (n = 317) from two universities, and the 2018 national assessment (n = 1 117), where students from seven higher education institutions participated. The results from the 2017 pilot (í µí±¥̅ =45.89%,í µí±í µí°·= 14.8) and 2018 national assessment (í µí±¥̅ =48.46%,í µí±í µí°·= 16.8) reveal similar patterns of performance. As the test was set at the level of mathematics at which the students are expected to teach, it is concerning that the majority of students (71%) were not able to obtain more than 60%. This brings into question the assumptions made about the mathematics skills and competencies that entrants into the B.Ed programme bring with them into tertiary education. It is recommended that the lower than expected starting point, should be taking into account, when reflecting on the relevance of the preparation of primary mathematics teacher education for quality teachers of primary mathematics in South Africa.
Sun, X. H., Kaur, B., Novotna, J.( Eds ) (2015) Proceeding of ICMI STUDY 23: Primary mathematics study on whole number. June, 2015, Macao, China. , 2015
This paper proposes a framework to support teachers’ interpretation of learners’ representations ... more This paper proposes a framework to support teachers’ interpretation of learners’ representations when engaging with whole number additive relation tasks. It builds on previous South African research on a conceptual framework for the specialisation of modes of representation in early grade mathematics. Using a combination of empirical data of learners’ representations of additive relations and literature, the adapted framework is exemplified focusing on shifts within modes of representation which denote a move from counting to calculating.
Early Grade Reading and Mathematics Interventions in South Africa, 2022
JumpStart is one of a few examples of South African early grade mathematics interventions that ha... more JumpStart is one of a few examples of South African early grade mathematics interventions that have shown remarkable gains in learning outcomes in the Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA). Four years of EGMA data, administered annually from 2016-2019 from Grades 1 to 3 (n = 1,865) were analysed, focusing specifically on the simple addition and subtraction testlet. Using the JumpStart baseline data – as a measure of ‘likely attainment’ in urban no-fee schools – the average child correctly answered two, seven, and 11 simple addition or subtraction calculations in two minutes, in Grades 1, 2, and 3 respectively. Following the JumpStart intervention, and as a measure of ‘aspirational attainment levels’, the average child correctly answers three, 12, and 16 simple addition or subtraction calculation in two minutes, in Grades 1, 2, and 3 respectively. JumpStart programme participants were interviewed to reflect on what they considered to be the key mechanisms for improving early grade mathematics outcomes. The formative assessment mobile application ‘Numeracy tracker’ was reviewed. JumpStart worked with a district, applying five key mechanisms, which are considered to be critical to the JumpStart design: (1) teachers and teacher training; (2) NumberSense learner workbooks; (3) individual attention from teaching assistants or interns who each have a tablet; (4) coherent mathematics pedagogy; and (5) real-time monitoring of learning (formative assessment). An important outcome of this study is that differentiated pacing, real-time formative assessment feedback, coupled with weekly attention, are mechanisms which are worth trailing in other contexts.
Early Grade Reading and Mathematics Interventions in South Africa, 2022
We know that difficulties with learning mathematics stem from early on in the primary school. Wha... more We know that difficulties with learning mathematics stem from early on in the primary school. What to do – at scale – to ensure that children exiting Foundation Phase are ready to thrive mathematically is less well known. This research reports on interventions that show promise in early grade mathematics, noting both their impact as well as the characteristic design features, which are thought to be driving that change. Design-based approaches to creating well designed and structured learning and teaching materials, which then clearly articulate the necessary conditions for uptake and fidelity of implementation, are therefore helpful. Drawing first on secondary sources we demonstrate promising impacts of the NumberSense Programme in South Africa and Jordan. We then focus explicitly on the Shikaya intervention, exploring five years of Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) data (n = 11,516) to report on shifts in attainment with each cohort. The preliminary analysis over the first three years was promising, but was then interrupted by the Covid pandemic. The design features of the NumberSense workbooks are described. The impact of the Shikaya intervention model ought to be more rigorously evaluated, to establish the extent to which it holds promise for learning improvements at scale.
The Pedagogy of Mathematics in South Africa: Is there a Unifying Logic?, 2017
This final chapter of the book looks at the different contributions made by the chapter authors a... more This final chapter of the book looks at the different contributions made by the chapter authors and seeks to pull together the main threads in our tapestry of mathematics pedagogy. It reflects on the South African 'mathematics story' and ponders the question of whether we have, or can logically construct, a unifying pedagogy.
The Pedagogy of Mathematics in South Africa: Is there a unifying logic?, 2017
This chapter first seeks to provide evidence of ongoing social exclusion at school level in relat... more This chapter first seeks to provide evidence of ongoing social exclusion at school level in relation to quality mathematics attainment in South Africa. It does that by drawing on secondary sources that point to exclusion along class and race lines. Second, this chapter approaches the sociopolitical aspects of mathematics education in South Africa from a mathematical perspective. It achieves that by setting up as the problem the question of how we define the object of mathematics. It approaches that question by offering a personal, historical perspective on the current definition of mathematics. Within that perspective, school mathematics is defined as a dynamic product of human reasoning. This chapter explores how that reasoning has been shaped by South Africa’s past and present as well as the interpenetration of the local with the national and the global.
The Pedagogy of Mathematics in South Africa: Is there a unifying logic?, 2017
This book offers an overview of the current position of teaching and learning Mathematics in Sout... more This book offers an overview of the current position of teaching and learning Mathematics in South Africa. It poses the question whether there is (or should be) a unifying logic informing the way mathematics is taught and learnt. Chapters written by a number of eminent local and international mathematics educators and researchers contribute ideas towards creating deeper understandings of mathematics, developing learners with productive mathematical identities, and ways of nurturing abstract reasoning.
MY FIRST A.I. BOOK – Artificial Intelligence and Learning, 2019
Artificial Intelligence and Learning is a teaser in a series of books and pioneering book for kid... more Artificial Intelligence and Learning is a teaser in a series of books and pioneering book for kids on Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) which focuses on its chief concept: LEARNING. The My First A.I. Books Series introduces kids of all ages to the foundational concepts for Artificial Intelligence and the 4th Industrial/Human Revolution, AKA I4.0 or 4IR or IOT. Written by three global experts and active scientific researchers, Professors Fernando Buarque (Ph.D. in A.I. Imperial College London), Tshilidzi Marwala (Ph.D. in A.I. at University of Cambridge), and Nicky Roberts (Ph.D. in Mathematics Education at the University of Witwatersrand).This book and series are suitable for all kids starting their Artificial Intelligence journey. As a matter of fact, the future of humankind depends centrally on how A.I. will be produced and used. As such, little readers are encouraged to think and talk in an informed manner about A.I. topics. The story of this first book, sets the plot by delving into the evolution of human tools (up to the fourth human revolution), types of learning, the ingredients for adaptive computer programs (i.e. programs that are able to learn), and even provides a working definition of A.I. All the books of the series are packed with concepts and encourage inquiry. They aim to widen the kids’ perspectives on, and also nurture their participation with, these new concepts and tools. All that in this amazing unfolding revolution – the Revolution of the Intelligence. The authors took care to include not only technical concepts, but humanistic and character-building values too. Thus, readers would acquire a good foundation for their future, which may even not be a technical one (but certainly will include A.I.). Ideally, this book should be read by the kids with an adult. It is handsomely complemented by five more books, which portrait five missions, detailing other chief functional A.I. concepts. In each mission the explorers are challenged to delve (and learn) five different ways of using A.I. on real-world problems. The other books in the My First A.I. Books Series are:•My First A.I. Book - Mission of Team-B is Searching •My First A.I. Book - Mission of Team-R is Predicting•My First A.I. Book - Mission of Team-I is Classifying•My First A.I. Book - Mission of Team-C is Optimizing•My First A.I. Book - Mission of Team-S is Interfacing
Policy for Open and Distance Learning Volume 4 World review of distance education and open learning, 2003
Sadly – despite many claims to the contrary – sound and rigorous financial planning is often omitt... more Sadly – despite many claims to the contrary – sound and rigorous financial planning is often omitted in new projects and institutions seeking to harness the potential of distance-education methods. The most problematic aspect of this omission is not analysis of the current or short-term running costs of a distance-education programme or institution; many (but by no means all) planners have a handle on these dimensions of distanceeducation practice. Far less common, though, is rigorous planning for the long-term sustainability of a programme or institution. Obviously this is problematic in any context, but it is of particular concern in contexts where financial resources are very constrained, which is usually a feature of distance-education programmes in developing countries.
Internet of Things, Infrastructures and Mobile Applications , 2021
JumpStart makes use of research-based structured learning material for mathematics together with ... more JumpStart makes use of research-based structured learning material for mathematics together with in-class support by interns, teacher training, real-time formative and summative assessment, through m-learning. To assess its impact on learner outcomes, a cross sectional study design was adopted, whereby performance of a random selection for learners across Grades 1 to 3 in 18 schools was analysed. Grouped learner outcomes (at the level of a grade across groups of schools) prior to the intervention were compared to learner outcomes post the intervention and set alongside a description of the nature of the intervention. Improvements in learning outcomes, as measured by the Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) are evident after one year of intervention, and appear to be strengthened after two years of intervention. Overall the JumpStart programme is having a significant impact on all the schools. The use of m-learning by interns for the efficient uptake and appropriate dosage of an early maths intervention; as well as the utility of a tablet interface for the efficient collection of early grade mathematics assessment data should be of interest to the m-learning and broader education community.
Policy for Open and Distance Learning: World Review of Distance Education and Open Learning Volume 4, 2003
Sadly – despite many claims to the contrary – sound and rigorous financial planning is a serious ... more Sadly – despite many claims to the contrary – sound and rigorous financial planning is a serious omission in several new projects and institutions seeking to harness the potential of distance education methods. The most problematic aspect of this omission is not analysis of the current or short-term running costs of a distance education programme or institution; many (but, by no means all) planners have a handle on these dimensions of distance education practice. Far less common, though, is rigorous planning for the long-term sustainability of a programme or institution. Obviously, this is problematic in any context, but it is of particular concern in contexts where financial resources are very constrained, which is usually a feature of distance education programmes in developing countries.
Some financial problems are beyond the control of financial planners. For example, in many countries, even modest course fees are beyond the reach of many potential learners. Similarly, national communication systems (roads, telecommunications, postal systems) are often not sufficiently reliable or pervasive to meet the requirements of distance education provision. Beyond this, though, there are many other problems that arise from ineffective financial planning. The following common features of struggling distance education programmes are symptomatic of weaknesses in financial planning:
• Face-to-face tutorial support is seen to be critical to learner success, but too expensive to implement;
• There are few reliable and sustainable strategies for making ongoing investments in course materials design and development;
• Professional development for educational and administrative staff members is sporadic and limited, resulting in insufficient skills amongst personnel to sustain distance education systems;
• Administrative systems either do not exist or are highly underdeveloped;
• Innovation in distance education relies heavily on unsustainable sources of funding, particularly donor funding.
This chapter focuses on exploring ways in which to avoid the symptoms of weak financial planning. It outlines key concepts and approaches to financial planning for distance education. It then explores some key mistakes that have been made in financial planning in different contexts.
Improving Primary Mathematics Education, Teaching and Learning , 2017
Difficulties with South African Foundation Phase learners making sense of word problems is now we... more Difficulties with South African Foundation Phase learners making sense of word problems is now well documented. Learners generating examples through their powers of imagining and expressing is presented in the mathematics education literature as a possible means of supporting such sense making. This chapter reports on an exploratory study of learner activity on a storytelling task where learners exemplify additive relations word problems. It draws on empirical data of Grade 2 learner activity in one lesson in a South African township school. Findings reveal that the majority of young learners in this focal class were able to exemplify word problems for themselves and that a storytelling task could be used as a diagnostic tool to guide teacher action.
Internet of Things, Infrastructures and Mobile Applications, 2021
ChildConnect is an early childhood development programme which aims to use mobile learning to sup... more ChildConnect is an early childhood development programme which aims to use mobile learning to support and educate parents and other caregivers. The programme is based on an SMS curriculum focused on early childhood development content, underpinned by six core learning outcomes. In a pilot in 2017, 899 primary and secondary caregivers signed up to receive the messages. Caregivers were randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. The treatment group received 3 messages a week for 24 weeks while the control group received one message every two weeks. Pre and post-tests were administered using ‘Unstructured Supplementary Service Data’ (USSD) surveys on mobile phones. Results of the tests were combined into a composite learning outcome score. This paper explores preliminary evidence of knowledge gains, comparing pre-test outcome scores to post-test outcome scores across treatment and control groups. The treatment group performed better on their learning outcome score than those in the control group by ~0.7 points (Cohen’s d = 0.21, small effect size, but non-trivial). This shows that there was a small but measurable positive effect on the knowledge gains of the treatment group compared to the control.
Internet of Things, Infrastructures and Mobile Applications, 2020
ChildConnect is a messaging service which aims to use mobile learning to support and educate pare... more ChildConnect is a messaging service which aims to use mobile learning to support and educate parents and caregivers through an SMS curriculum of Early Childhood Development content. This paper reports on initial uptake and subsequent engagement with the ChildConnect messages. An experimental design was adopted where caregivers were randomly assigned to either a treatment or a control group. The uptake for ChildConnect from those targeted via public clinic data on pregnant women was 24%, this increased to 66% for secondary caregivers invited to join the service by a primary caregiver. Engagement was measured in terms of appetite, as well as in terms of response rates to both unincentivised and incentivised opportunities to engage. For both control and treatment groups there was clear appetite to receive more than three messages per week, with most (~78%) participants indicating that they would like to receive messages every day or every weekday. Three incentivised surveys (midline 1, midline 2 and endline) were completed by 72%, 70% and 69% of participants respectively. Between 25−55% of participants in the treatment group responded to unincentivised weekly ‘reply’ messages. Higher response rates were seen for the control group who received fewer messages and only fortnightly opportunities to reply.
Internet of Things, Infrastructures and Mobile Applications, 2020
JumpStart makes use of research-based structured learning material for mathematics together with ... more JumpStart makes use of research-based structured learning material for mathematics together with in-class support by interns, teacher training, real-time formative and summative assessment, through m-learning. To assess its impact on learner outcomes, a cross sectional study design was adopted, whereby performance of a random selection for learners across Grades 1 to 3 in 18 schools was analysed. Grouped learner outcomes (at the level of a grade across groups of schools) prior to the intervention were compared to learner outcomes post the intervention and set alongside a description of the nature of the intervention. Improvements in learning outcomes, as measured by the Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) are evident after one year of intervention, and appear to be strengthened after two years of intervention. Overall the JumpStart programme is having a significant impact on all the schools. The use of m-learning by interns for the efficient uptake and appropriate dosage of an early maths intervention; as well as the utility of a tablet interface for the efficient collection of early grade mathematics assessment data should be of interest to the m-learning and broader education community.
In South Africa, difficulties with learners solving word problems has been a recurrent problem id... more In South Africa, difficulties with learners solving word problems has been a recurrent problem identified through national standardised assessments extending from Foundation Phase into the Senior Phase. As is evident globally, particular difficulties have been identified with young children solving ‘compare-type problems’ where the numbers of objects in two disjoint sets are compared. This design experiment provides empirical data of young South African learners trying to make sense of compare-type problems. The task design from this design experiment suggested that engaging learners in narrative processes where they are expected to model the problem situations and then retell and vary the word problems, to become fluent in using the sematic schemata may assist them to become more experienced and better able to make sense of compare-type problems. This finding contradicts the advice offered in official South African government documentation. The study was a three-cycle classroom-based design experiment which took place over 10 consecutive school days with Foundation Phase learners in a full service township school where the majority of learners were English Language Learners (ELLs), learning mathematics in English when their home language has not English. This study set out to research a ‘narrative teaching approach’ for a specific mathematics topic: additive relation word problems. At the heart of the study therefore, was a question relating to the efficacy of a teaching strategy: To what extent do young children’s example space of additive relations expand to include compare type word problems? This design experiment reveals that when adequately supported with careful task design and effort in monitoring and responding to learner activity, Grade 2 ELL children in a township school can improve their additive relations problem solving, in a relatively short time frame. The majority of the learners in this design experiment were able to solve compare-type problems at the end of the 10-day intervention. These learners were also able to produce evidence of movements towards more structured representations, and towards better learner explanation and problem posing using storytelling. The design experiment intervention showed promise in expanding young children’s example space for additive relations word problems. In both cycles the mean results improved from pre-test to post-test. The gains evident immediately after the intervention were retained in a delayed post-test administered for the third cycle which showed further improvements in the mean with a reduced standard deviation. The effect sizes of the shifts in means from pre-test to post-test was 0.7 (medium) in both cycles, while the effect size of shifts in the mean from pre-test to delayed post-test was 1.3 (large). T-tests established that these shifts in means were statistically significant. The core group showed the greatest learning gains, suggesting that the intervention was most successful in ‘raising the middle’ of the class. Particular patterns of children’s reasoning about additive relations word problems are documented from the South African ELL children in this design experiment. For example many ELLs in this design experiment initially responded to compare word problems like ‘Mahlodi has 12 sweets. Moeketsi has 8 sweets. How many more sweets does Mahlodi have than Moeketsi?’ with: ‘Mahlodi has 12 sweets’. New actions and contrasts relating to additive relations are brought into focus. For example the empirical results indicated that inserting attention to 1:1 matching actions was found to be useful to helping learners to deal with static compare situations. This study has helped to extend the theoretical foundations of what is meant by a ‘narrative approach’ as the theoretical features of the narrative approach are now situated within a broader theoretical framework of orienting theories, domain specific instructional theories, and related frameworks for action. The findings of this design experiment have been promising in the local context of the focal school. Should the intervention task design be found to yield similar results in other South African Foundation Phase contexts, when implemented by teachers other than the researcher, then it may be appropriate to use the research findings to improve the guidance provided to Foundation phase teachers (in curriculum documentation and through professional development offerings).
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Papers by Nicky Roberts
This paper reports on the baseline data collected via parent and teacher questionnaires and parent focus groups, relating to practices and beliefs (encompassing relationships and agency) of parents and teachers relating to Grade 2 mathematics homework. These methods draw upon education design research, where teachers come together with education design specialists to design, test, and further refine systems and tools to address a problem in a context with very few known solutions.
The results show the diversity of 'the parent', the availability of mobile phones which can send and receive SMS, the emergence of phones which can send and receive WhatsApp, as well as the significant efforts necessary to establish simple communication systems between teachers and parents. This paper has relevance to teachers and project designers seeking to support remote learning, which draws on local resources and makes use of modest technology resources such as print and feature mobile phones.
The objective of this study was to identify elements that may invalidate EGMA as a measure of mathematical competencies of grade 1 learners. From the Rasch analysis, our finding was that the EGMA suffered notable 'floor effects', was too long for grade 1 learners and included redundant items.
The findings have relevance for the modification of the EGMA, for professional development programmes and further research in mathematics assessment at the Foundation Phase level.
Findings show a statistically significant difference in mean attainment on the EGMA assessment in the JumpStart schools (effect size of 0.52) and with further improvements evident after 3 years (effect size of 0.94). These effect sizes are compared to existing South African studies as well as meta-analysis of studies from low- and middle-income countries. Benchmarks for EGMA raw score attainment at Grade level in the Ekurhuleni South district of Gauteng (n = 2,625) are provided.
Development (ECD) Short Messages Service (SMS’s) in English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa. In this paper the concepts of
m-learning ‘engagement’ related to ‘uptake’ and ‘use’ as adopted by Roberts & Vänskä (2011) are applied. An
experimental design was adopted where the target group was assigned to either a treatment group (receiving three
messages per week), or a control group (receiving one message per fortnight). A pre-test and post-test survey was
administered at the baseline (prior to the 6-month message service intervention), and repeated at the endline. Two
additional measures of engagement were obtained: The responses to fortnightly questions posed to both
treatment and control groups, and the opportunities presented fortnightly to the treatment group to request
additional information. The data is analysed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. The study was endorsed
by the National Department of Health, approved by five provincial Departments of Health, and undertaken under
the ethical clearance number: 2017-038 of the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Education. The study
provides quantitative evidence of how the caregivers engaged with the m-learning parenting service and reports
on measurable shifts in attitudes and beliefs as well as knowledge about early childhood development. This paper
may be of interest to government actors, curriculum designers, and implementers of ECD parenting programmes.
Parents and caregivers are the first teachers of young children; and hence a key part of transforming teacher
education in the early years.
for’ output of improving school-level mathematics teaching and learning. This paper reports on a
landscape review that was undertaken with the chief aim of collecting evidence about these intervention
programmes. This was done by compiling a list of experts (from Higher Education Institutions, the
Education Department and NGOs) engaged in mathematics education interventions in schools who were
asked to provide information about the interventions they were involved in.
ought to be attended to as part of mathematics teaching. This is theskill used to carrying out mathematical
procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately, which is a key requirement for mathematical
attainment that is measured in high-stakes standardised assessments. However labelling this skill as distinct
from other strands of mathematical proficiency and recognising it during instructional time or in learning
materials does not help to answer one of the more vexing questions which arise about this concept: How
much procedural fluency or ‘practice’ is enough to effect shifts in mathematics attainment? In this paper
we present the evaluation research findings from a mobile learning mathematics service which helps to
answer the question of ‘how much is enough?’.
transformation, as recommended in general for the sector by the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework
for Teacher Education and Development (ISPFTED). Any intervention to enable this must be driven from
within the field of primary teacher education if sector-wide buy-in is to be achieved and sustainable and
positive change is to be affected. The Primary Teacher Education (PrimTEd) Programme aims to provide
this opportunity. Ultimately, the main result must be strengthened initial teacher education programmes
that enable new primary teacher graduates to competently teach languages, literacy and mathematics in
primary school settings.
Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) intervention to support
collaboration between Universities (Higher Education Institutes), this symposium will
present preliminary findings from a 2017 trial of a common mathematics assessment.
The PrimTEd assessment workstream has trialled an common online mathematics
assessment across a few different South African universities. This has been administered
with 1st year and 4th year B.Ed students. Preliminary analysis of the findings from these
2017 trials are presented.
Development (ECD) Short Messages Service (SMS’s) in English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa. In this paper the concepts of
m-learning ‘engagement’ related to ‘uptake’ and ‘use’ as adopted by Roberts & Vänskä (2011) are applied. An
experimental design was adopted where the target group was assigned to either a treatment group (receiving three
messages per week), or a control group (receiving one message per fortnight). A pre-test and post-test survey was
administered at the baseline (prior to the 6-month message service intervention), and repeated at the endline. Two
additional measures of engagement were obtained: The responses to fortnightly questions posed to both
treatment and control groups, and the opportunities presented fortnightly to the treatment group to request
additional information. The data is analysed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. The study was endorsed
by the National Department of Health, approved by five provincial Departments of Health, and undertaken under
the ethical clearance number: 2017-038 of the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Education. The study
provides quantitative evidence of how the caregivers engaged with the m-learning parenting service and reports
on measurable shifts in attitudes and beliefs as well as knowledge about early childhood development. This paper
may be of interest to government actors, curriculum designers, and implementers of ECD parenting programmes.
Parents and caregivers are the first teachers of young children; and hence a key part of transforming teacher
education in the early years.
(ECD) Short Messages Service (SMS’s) for caregivers of young children. This paper forms part of a broader PhD study
of an m-learning parenting programme which demonstrates a directly beneficial relationship between caregivers,
children, and text-messaging information. The broader study builds on the relationship between adult education
theory, change theory and communications theory. In this paper the interrelated notions of ‘publics’ (Warner, 2002),
‘gates’ and ‘gatekeeping’ (Bruns, 2008) are in focus. An action research design was adopted whereby the writing
team could test and refine the SMS curriculum based on feedback from case study mothers. Rich qualitative
information was collected from the primary beneficiaries of the service in order to improve and develop the SMS
curriculum. The data collection included SMS responses, home visits, questionnaires, photographs and short videos.
The study was endorsed by the National Department of Health, approved by five provincial Departments of Health,
and undertaken under the ethical clearance number: 2017-038 of the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of
Education. The study provides a thick description of the processes undertaken, and the gatekeeping phenomena
experienced, in the development of an ECD SMS curriculum. Ways of being receptive to feedback and relevant to
the lives of mothers receiving the child grant are discussed. Mothers and caregivers can participate in development
of parenting programmes which use SMS’s as a critical mobile platform for adult education. This paper may be of
interest to government actors, curriculum designers, and implementers of ECD parenting programmes which seek
to send parents systematic information about child development processes. Parents and caregivers are the first
teachers of young children; and hence a key part of transforming teacher education in the early years.
To investigate bilingual sense making of mathematics, students in their first year of a teacher training programme wrote the same mathematics test in two languages: English and isiXhosa, as part of the national assessment.
Data from 88 student teachers revealed that their performance was better in the English version of the test. The majority of the students (69%) preferred the English version of the test. The study recommends that universities need to pay far greater attention to the teaching of mathematics in isiXhosa for the early grades.
A common assessment in mathematics was deemed necessary to allow each HEI to reflect on their student intake, and design of their Bachelor of Education programmes (B.Eds). The assessment workstream constructed an online test of 90 minutes, consisting of 50 items on different mathematics concepts pertaining to foundation and intermediate phase school mathematics for teaching. The authors, analysed the performance of the 2017 pilot testing with first year students (n = 317) from two universities, and the 2018 national assessment (n = 1 117), where students from seven higher education institutions participated. The results from the 2017 pilot (í µí±¥̅ =45.89%,í µí±í µí°·= 14.8) and 2018 national assessment (í µí±¥̅ =48.46%,í µí±í µí°·= 16.8) reveal similar patterns of performance. As the test was set at the level of mathematics at which the students are expected to teach, it is concerning that the majority of students (71%) were not able to obtain more than 60%. This brings into question the assumptions made about the mathematics skills and competencies that entrants into the B.Ed programme bring with them into tertiary education. It is recommended that the lower than expected starting point, should be taking into account, when reflecting on the relevance of the preparation of primary mathematics teacher education for quality teachers of primary mathematics in South Africa.
framework is exemplified focusing on shifts within modes of representation which denote a move from counting to calculating.
in two minutes, in Grades 1, 2, and 3 respectively. Following the JumpStart intervention, and as a measure of ‘aspirational attainment levels’, the average child correctly answers three, 12, and 16 simple addition or subtraction calculation in two minutes, in Grades 1, 2, and 3 respectively. JumpStart programme participants were interviewed to reflect on what they considered to be the key mechanisms for improving early grade mathematics outcomes. The formative assessment mobile application ‘Numeracy tracker’ was reviewed. JumpStart worked with a district, applying five key mechanisms, which are considered to be critical to the JumpStart design: (1) teachers and teacher training; (2) NumberSense learner workbooks; (3) individual attention from teaching assistants or interns who each have a tablet; (4) coherent mathematics pedagogy; and (5) real-time monitoring of learning (formative assessment). An important outcome of this study is that differentiated pacing, real-time formative assessment feedback, coupled with weekly attention, are mechanisms which are worth trailing in other contexts.
Some financial problems are beyond the control of financial planners. For example, in many countries, even modest course fees are beyond the reach of many potential learners. Similarly, national communication systems (roads, telecommunications, postal systems) are often not sufficiently reliable or pervasive to meet the requirements of distance education provision. Beyond this, though, there are many other problems that arise from ineffective financial planning. The following common features of struggling distance education programmes are symptomatic of weaknesses in financial planning:
• Face-to-face tutorial support is seen to be critical to learner success, but too expensive to implement;
• There are few reliable and sustainable strategies for making ongoing investments in course materials design and development;
• Professional development for educational and administrative staff members is sporadic and limited, resulting in insufficient skills amongst personnel to sustain distance education systems;
• Administrative systems either do not exist or are highly underdeveloped;
• Innovation in distance education relies heavily on unsustainable sources of funding, particularly donor funding.
This chapter focuses on exploring ways in which to avoid the symptoms of weak financial planning. It outlines key concepts and approaches to financial planning for distance education. It then explores some key mistakes that have been made in financial planning in different contexts.