The impact of a classroom intervention on university students' learning in a mathematics and statistics-related subject

[摘要] English: A growing number of underprepared students are entering higher education institutionsand students' underachievement in mathematics is indeed of great concern. Numerousresearch studies have pointed out that the academic domain of underpreparedness amongsuch students entails a lack of mathematical ability and effective study skills. Researchstudies also point out that education should focus on learning how to learn and thateducators in South Africa should turn back to their primary responsibility, which is toteach learners necessary thinking skills. Tertiary institutions, therefore, have theobligation to train future professional students, and the responsibility lies with lecturers tohelp students become aware of study skills and learning strategies with regard tomathematics-related subjects. A comprehensive look into learning theories and thelearning of mathematics and statistics provided the researcher with insight with regard tothese aspects. The researcher therefore deemed it necessary to conduct a research studywith the aim to meet the need for improving students' academic performance in suchsubjects. The study reports on the introduction of a classroom learning strategy that wasdesigned to improve students' academic performance in a mathematics and statisticsrelatedsubject at the Central University of Technology, Free State.The study is located within a quantitative paradigm, with some enhancement by means ofqualitative information. The study followed a non-equivalent pre-test post-test designinvolving an experimental group and control group of students. A quasi-experimentalapproach was used to determine whether the post-test performance of students who wereexposed to the classroom learning strategy (experimental group) was higher than that ofstudents who received no classroom learning strategy (control group) in the moduleBusiness Statistics/Statistics II. With regard to the qualitative mode of study, theresearcher conducted a nominal group setting to determine the developmentalexperiences students found most useful after the implementation of the classroomlearning strategy intervention. The quantitative analysis of students' post-testperformance showed increases in students' academic performance in the module BusinessStatistics/Statistics II. The results that emerged from the nominal group technique settingalso support the effectiveness of the researcher's proposed classroom learning strategyintervention, as it had a positive effect on students' attitudes regarding a mathematics andstatistics-related subject.

[发布机构] University of the Free State